Customs staff at Galisbay port
inspect down-island produce
MARIGOT--Customs officers carried out an inspection of fresh produce coming off down-island boats early Wednesday morning as part of checking standards of documentation and packaging of goods coming into St. Martin.
The inspections were conducted in conjunction with Commissioner of Market Affairs, Permits, and Authorisations Noreen Brooks-Grant
St. Martin authorities have been complaining since 2001 that produce sold by Dominican hucksters has not been up to standard. As a consequence 42 legally registered Dominican hucksters were given until March 1, 2007, to ensure produce they ship to St. Martin conforms to trading standards set out by French authorities.
Brooks-Grant attended a meeting in Dominica two weeks ago with the Dominica Export Import Agency DEXIA and the Hucksters Association to stress St. Martin will no longer accept fresh produce without proper documentation and packaging.
“It was a major improvement,” said Brook-Grant following the inspections. “Produce is in boxes and not loose all over the place. … There was one technicality over a sanitary document for St. Kitts which included St. Martin and this was addressed with the captain. We requested next week to make sure they have a separate sanitary document for St. Martin instead of having one document for all the produce on the vessel; otherwise, the goods will not be allowed to come off.”
At the time of Brooks-Grant’s visit to Dominica, DEXIA General Manager Gregoire Thomas called on hucksters to adhere to the proper rules and regulations. He was quoted in the island’s Chronicle newspaper as saying that a draft bill had been prepared to cover fresh produce exporting which would be debated in Parliament.
He added that any new form of transportation, such as using containers, would depend on the establishment of a partnership between the tourism and agricultural sectors.
Dominica Hucksters Association (DHA) Executive Secretary Cecil Joseph said that while St. Martin’s requirements would initially have a negative impact, he believed his members would conform to the regulations within one or two weeks.
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