The T&T Scrap Iron Dealers Association has met with the new Trade Minister, and believes it marks the beginning of a more favourable operating environment for the scrap metal industry.
While it isn't planning to scrap the legislative work that was done under the former Administration, the Association is looking at amendments.
00:00According to TTCDA President Alan Ferguson, meetings with the government over the past three to four years have been an emotional roller coaster.
00:08When I come out of a meeting, sometimes you're still sad, but I want to say to Trinidad and Tobago, I am feeling very, very pleased.
00:18I'm feeling good based on what the minister has told us and the minister has given us hope in this industry.
00:26And so TTCDA is eager to move forward with businessman come trade minister Satya Kama Maharaj.
00:33Can you delve a little bit into what the discussion was about and the responses from the minister?
00:38Well, what the minister would have said, he want to know why it is this industry would have inclined so bad from where it was to where it is today.
00:49And what the minister would have told us to, based on the little information with the people in the ministry, he would have also understand that we are important things to come back to Trinidad to sell back.
01:03We have the stock right here in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:06Why are you holding up, why are you holding up people from exporting things that you have right here to sell?
01:11But the scrap metal industry has been plagued by several issues, including rampant theft of state and corporate equipment, such as iron fittings and copper cables, prompting a shutdown by the government, followed by a partial reopening.
01:26It also led to the Scrap Metal Act of 2022, intended to regulate the operations of the industry, which the association initially supported.
01:35But since then, TTC Dehez argued that it has resulted in bureaucracy, while the previous government blamed some of the key back on non-compliance by some scrap metal operators.
01:46What the minister has told us also is that he will, problems that it has in the industry, he will fix it.
01:55He promised for us to amend what we need to amend.
02:02We have to send him information in reference to what we think is the problem and how we think it'll solve the problem.
02:10Ferguson says they are now looking at a digital system to phase out what he claims is a long paper trail of reporting to the trade ministry.
02:19We also tell him that the best thing for us at this time is the CCC cameras, we can monitor, we pull in and monitor the yard in reference, so things coming in, what's stolen and things going out.
02:31I think it's the best thing and the minister agree with that, he said the whole world will go into that area.
02:35Other areas are in focus as well.
02:37That bottleneck where you have so much limited time with the documents as far as the duration of license and so forth, all of that, as well as inspectors, having enough inspectors so things can run efficiently.
02:51The association, which believes that a board with different stakeholders should be set up for the purpose of monitoring, says it will be working on its recommendations forthwith.
03:01But it will not be pushing for any repeal of the act that was passed.
03:05I mean, we don't want to pull back everything, but there are some things we could work with and some things we cannot work with.
03:10I think it's quite simple. Whatever work we're going to keep and what needs to be tweaked, we will tweak.
03:16Meanwhile, the Ministry of Trade confirms that Minister Maharaj and his parliamentary secretary, Dr. Neil Gosain, met with TT Sida.
03:24The ministry states that the discussion surrounded the operation and inspection of scrap metal sites throughout the country.
03:30The ministry says, quote, it remains committed to strengthening collaboration with all of its stakeholders as it continues to work to maintain an enabling environment for business, investment and economic growth, end quote.
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