Couva Chamber: Crime and Forex biggest issues in 2024

Shastri Boodan

Crime and the shortage of Forex for SMEs were the major factors affecting businesses in 2024 according to Deoraj Mahase, the President of the Couva Point Lisas Chamber of Commerce (CPLCC). 

Mahase was at the time delivering addressing the CPLCC’s annual Christmas function on Friday at the Chamber’s Camden Road, Couva facilities. Mahase said the Chamber has been pushing for more police/army joint patrols and faster detection rates. Mahase said the  CPLCC in collaboration with the TT Police Service plans to relaunch its CCTV program in the new year.

Mahase said small businesses depend heavily on credit cards to meet payments for imported goods and raw materials.  He urged the business community to collaborate with other business groups to possibly modify their local operations to export more and use locally sourced raw materials where possible.

He said the negatives of floating the TT Dollar would far outweigh any benefits it may bring.  Mahase said the chamber also intends to tackle demurrage (a charge payable to the owner of a chartered ship on failure to load or discharge the ship within the time agreed.) 

He said the systems and methods being used to calculate demurrage must be better negotiated to bring better benefits to the business community.

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