The President of the St. Vincent Fisherfolk Organisation, Winsbert Harry, articulates that fishers perceive the newly established rainforest retail outlet as a significant concern, one that threatens to disrupt and deplete the island’s fish stocks and resources.
The retail establishment presently being developed in Calliaqua is poised to provide a selection of imported fish in conjunction with locally sourced varieties such as snapper, mahi mahi, lobster, and conch, as articulated by Minister of Agriculture Saboto Caesar.
During an interview, Harry conveyed to SVG TV that Rainforest Seafood arrived in SVG with the intention of exporting $20 million worth of fish and fisheries products. “It was conveyed to us that Rainforest Seafood will not engage in competition with local fishers and vendors, and that they will be prohibited from fishing in SVG waters”.
“We were told that Rainforest will be exporting all seafood and sea products. But when fishers approached rainforests to do business, the price that they were offering to us, the fisherfolk, was a peppercorn change.”
“Fishers decided not to support or sell any of their fish products to Rainforest because of price; hence, fisherfolk will not support this move. There is no plan in place to develop a fishing cooperative to develop the fishery landing sites around St Vincent and the Grenadines.”
Harry stated that foreign investors have been allocated duties and grants that are failing to benefit the local fisherfolk.
“For instance, look at the recent increase in costs that the agriculture input warehouse places on the local fishermen. Rainforest seafood is going to destroy our fishing industry because we were told that they are going to export. And what we are seeing now is a different ballgame, and we called on fisherfolk to be real and be togethe and stand united against this new development,” Harry said.
