Published: Wednesday September 17, 2008
Trinidad Distillers Limited has been named the Prime Minister's Exporter of the Year 2007, while Panland Trinidad and Tobago Limited has been named the Rookie of the Year.
Business Development Company Limited (BDC) chairman Ganesh Sahadeo made the announcement during the awards ceremony, at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann's, on Monday evening.
He said the criteria for selection was based on data collected by the Central Statistical Office (CSO).
"We chose companies whose value of exports, during the award year of 2007, was in excess of TT$500,000," Sahadeo said.
"Using CSO data from the Customs and Excise Division, the following areas were examined in order to measure exporter performance: firm's export growth, firm's growth relative to the overall growth within the sector and number of new markets exported to in 2007."
In 2006, the BDC was appointed the official trade promotion organisation of Trinidad and Tobago, and was entrusted with the mandate to position the country as a major manufacturing base, and commercial transshipment and financial hub of the Caribbean and the Americas.
Sahadeo said the BDC was also proud to present the ten Exporter Awards to recognise the various companies and their contributions to the country's export sector.
"The expansion of our sector is a critical element in the diversification of our local economy," he said.
"While Trinidad and Tobago's economy promised vibrant growth projections in the energy sector, the non-energy sector must be nurtured and developed if we are to have a strong diversified economy.
"The increasing costs of production worldwide, and international food shortages, are clear signals that we must produce more locally, and strengthen our position as a nation and a region."
He said this vision cannot be achieved without a strategic alliance between the public and private enterprises.
Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who delivered the feature address, said there was need for invention and innovation in the industry.
"In the light of the present international scenario, including the inevitability of reciprocity in emerging trading arrangements, now, more than ever, do we need the spirit of innovation and inventiveness to permeate our entrepreneurial thinking," Manning said.
"This is the key to expansion, improved competitiveness and sustainable viability. We need to create more value-added, new and unique products utilising indigenous materials to a greater degree, in manufacturing, agro-industry, culture and entertainment, to name some of the sectors that readily come to mind."
He said there must now be greater emphasis on research and development, which need much more resources than are presently allocated at both the public and private levels.
Manning assured that Government intends to tackle this matter in a meaningful way.
Source:
Kristy Ramnarine
Trinidad Express Newspapers
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article_business?id=161376830
kramnarine@trinidadexpress.com
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