Avellon Williams
CASTRIES, ST LUCIA – The ministry of commerce, manufacturing, business development, cooperatives, and consumer affairs announced that it has been experiencing a shipping delay of brown and refined sugar due to supply chain issues.
“Global supply chain disruptions are causing consumers to struggle with shortages in a variety of basic goods, according to the ‘update on sugar supplies’ from the minister of commerce.”
Brown sugar will, however, be available from the Government Supply Warehouse on June 15, and an update will be provided on the regular supply of refined (white) sugar at the soonest.”
The Ministry of commerce attributed shortages and challenges to “… adverse weather conditions from the source markets.”
Despite the possibility that the hurricane season has begun, no severe or adverse weather conditions have been reported in the Caribbean and the source markets of Barbados, Guyana, and Jamaica to warrant a sufficient level of concern.
Furthermore, the ‘update on sugar supplies’ noted: “the container shortages, specifically 20ft containers, are becoming increasingly difficult to source due to congestion at ports and rising demand.”
While this is a factor in international ports and global markets, the reality in regional ports and regional source markets are quite different. And given the relatively short distance between CARICOM member states, there are other options.
Despite rising fears of a global food crisis, the Ukrainian and Russian war seems to be a result of many challenges, management issues, and deficiencies.
Certainly, the war has had consequences in many countries, increasing the price of food and reducing availability – as critical global shipments and supply chains have been disrupted.
ISSUES OF OTHER CONCERN
Based on the results of the YouGov survey, retailers and suppliers worked closely together and improved their relationships during the pandemic, but the pressure of rising prices has strained these relationships, and Code-related issues have also increased.
Suppliers raised a number of other issues, including:
Delays in payments: 12 percent of suppliers raised delays in or not receiving payment when there are disagreements about deliveries (up from 8% in 2021).
Invoice discrepancies: 18 percent of suppliers highlighted that processes and procedures in place to enable invoice discrepancies to be resolved promptly were inadequate (up from 14% in 2021). Forecasting errors: 18 percent of suppliers said they had been affected by incurring significant costs because of inaccurate forecasting by retailers (up from 16% in 2021).
There is concern that economic and management pressures have weakened relationships and caused wider problems. And the call for “patience in challenging times” is incompatible with relieving basic communities in a land rich in natural resources, once the breadbasket of the Caribbean, with pacifiers.
It may be very well in the government’s interest to review state-controlled enterprises, particularly those that supply basic commodities, which have become “very complicated” with regard to modern business tools, contingency planning, and skills outside the political system. There are also challenges that developing countries face when trying to provide for their citizens.
“Food insecurity and high prices can trigger instability,” said Qu Dongyu, director-general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Ahead of the “Mediterranean Dialogue on Food Crisis” in Rome, Qu stressed the importance of keeping the global food trade system open and ensuring that agri-foodexports are not restricted or taxed.
The repeated declarations that they will capitalize on the current situation in Ukraine and Russia, weaponizing the surroundings with incompetence and inaction, cannot be trusted.
