PNM ORGANISED AGAINST TOBAGO

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The THA Finance Secretary  accuses the PNM of being on a systematic mission to defund Tobago. Petal-Ann Roberts spoke of  the significant negative impact Tobago will face in light of a shortfall of funds and the reprioritizing of projects.   She said the overall shortfall in Development Programme allocations for Fiscal 2025 is $797 million or 79.5 percent. Elizabeth Williams has our report.

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00:0021.1% less than the 260 million allocated to the THA in fiscal 2024 and 49% less than

00:09the 400 million allocated in fiscal 2022. What this actually means is that between 2022

00:15and 2024, the central government cut the development budget allocation to the THA by half. And

00:22this is clearly an organized PNM campaign to defund Tobago's socio-economic development

00:34program and the growth of Tobago's sectors. The finance secretary said the budgetary shortfall

00:40is causing a negative impact on Tobago's development programs. In fiscal 2024, it cost the Tobago

00:48House of Assembly $31.8 million to fund CPEP. We were only allocated 9.2 million. Likewise,

00:56for fiscal 2024, it cost the Tobago House of Assembly 78.4 million to fund the URP program

01:04and only 18 million was allocated in fiscal 2025. Also, it cost $3.5 million to fund the

01:11financial assistance program to our university students of Tobago, but only half a million

01:18dollars was allocated in fiscal 2025. She said a structural shift in Tobago's economy is unlikely,

01:26but the reprioritizing of projects remains necessary. Under the Division of Food Security,

01:32Natural Resources, the Environment and Sustainable Development, we intend to roll out a mega farming

01:38project across several locations in Tobago and a shade house project in Friendship at a total

01:44estimated cost of $13.5 million. We also intend to construct a food hub in Mason Hall at a cost of

01:52$16 million. We intend to reconfigure the Louisville processing facility to an agri-processing facility

02:01at an estimated cost of $5 million. We intend to advance the agriculture access road program

02:08at a cost of $15 million. Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.

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