00:00Economist Dr Indira Sajjewan says the nutrient shutdown will have a significant economic impact
00:07with job losses expected as the company closes its doors over the next five years.
00:13However, Dr Sajjewan says the shutdown does not mean the country is without options.
00:19There is the anticipation that will come in on stream of humanity.
00:23I think by the second half of 2027 going into 2028 there is going to be sufficient to take us
00:32just past maybe three
00:34and I think therefore that more gas obviously will mean the capacity of the plants can obviously be increased.
00:43She is forecasting another budget deficit and says the next fiscal year is likely to remain difficult
00:49but she notes that domestic inflation remains relatively contained.
00:55What we would have also seen that is credit to the government is keeping the inflation rates very low.
01:02While global inflation stands right now at 4.7%, domestic inflation stands at 0.3%.
01:10We in Trinidad and Tobago right now have one of the lowest inflation rates in the world.
01:16That doesn't mean that prices have not been increasing.
01:18It means that the rate of price increase has been the lowest in the world.
01:23Dr Sajjewan tells the Morning Edition she wants Monday's budget to provide a clear update
01:28on the previously announced priorities and how much progress has been made in delivering them.
01:34I would like to see greater endeavors through the budget towards non-energy diversification,
01:43heavier focus on tourism, on agriculture, agro-processing.
01:47These are the areas that I would like to see stronger signals being sent.
01:52We had some ambitious targets being set in the last budget.
01:57I would like to hear the government give us a report on what has actually happened from then to now
02:04so that we can know whether it is simply just talk or whether we are moving beyond the talk towards
02:13implementation.
02:14Nicole M. Romany, TV6 News.
