CONTACT Magazine (Vol.18 No.3 – December 2018)

Export House, head
office of exporTT,
on Charlotte Street,
Port of Spain
courtesy exportt
He met with the major local suppliers to discuss
utilising GraceKennedy’s distribution channel. We had
very fruitful meetings and hopefully we will see some
traction in increasing our exports to the diaspora in
North America.
Sounds like progress is being made. What of the
challenges?
DG: The challenges are well-known – crime, the
productivity and availability of labour, the lack of foreign
exchange to invest in new or expand existing business.
Companies are not happy with the pace at which they
receive their VAT (value added tax) refunds. Many of them
use it as the liquidity to run their business.
The government understands the problems and
they are working on them. The Ministry of Trade and
Industry is working very hard to improve the ease of
doing business, getting businesses up and running,
getting all the approvals much more easily.
And on a personal level, how do you deal with the
challenges? What motivates you?
DG: I’ve always liked the export arena. My first job, straight
out of university, was travelling up and down the islands
selling construction material for a local company. I just
reached a point in my life and maturity where I wanted
to use my experience to help in nation-building, and give
back to the manufacturing and export sector that has
been good to me. When the position became available I
felt it was an ideal fit with my practical export experience
to bring that understanding to the public sector.
Is there anything you would like to tell potential
exporters?
DG: Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid to go out there.
What holds back a lot of business people is the fear of
the unknown. ExporTT is here to demystify your business
expansion aspirations. We are very open. We are very
responsive. We are here to help.
Special resources for companies
• “The Ministry of Trade and exporTT have a
fund of TT$25 million whereby we assist
small and medium-sized manufacturers
to purchase plant and equipment. This
is a grant. You don’t have to pay it back.
You must satisfy the requirement that you
are able to increase your exports or prove
that you are having an impact on import
substitution. You are eligible for this grant
up to $250,000. It is a matching grant,
meaning it will pay the supplier half of the
cost for the equipment up to that amount.”
• “Companies can also access a research and
development grant of up to a million dollars
per company. The grant includes concept
development for an innovative product or
service, commercialisation of the product,
and assistance in marketing the new
product.”
• “ExporTT doesn’t only deal with exporters.
We even have an entrepreneurship
programme for people who are now starting
up, moving them along the developmental
process to one day becoming exporters.
We have a cohort now in Tobago of about
12 indigenous manufacturers who in some
instances are not even exporting to Trinidad.
We are training them in marketing, labelling,
finance and business planning.”
www.chamber.org.tt/contact-magazine 19
Trinidad and Tobago Chamber
of Industry and Commerce