TTMA IN THE NEWS
ASYCUDA woes frustrating businesses
Frustration is growing amongst the business community over the ongoing disruption to the Customs Border Control System (ASYCUDA), which is resulting in significant financial losses for them. And they are now calling for an urgent meeting with the Comptroller of Customs. The ASYCUDA is a computerised customs management system used by the Customs and Excise Division to facilitate international trade. An official from the Customs and Excise Division said yesterday while a backup system has been in effect since Monday, there are glitches that are being experienced and officials are hopeful that the system can be fully functioning by today, as the IT department is working to restore it. A notice by the Customs and Excise Division earlier this week said the system was compromised due to water leaks at Customs House, Government Campus Plaza, Port-of-Spain. It added that the division expected the service to be back by Tuesday (July 1). Read more here
Concern over trade disruptions
Business groups are sounding the alarm over what they describe as the continued unavailability of the Customs Border Control System (ASYCUDA), with the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) and the Chaguanas Chamber of Commerce both calling for immediate intervention to address the growing disruption to trade. In a release issued yesterday, the TTMA said the system was expected to resume operations on Tuesday, following a reported compromise on June 30. However, “the business community continues to face complete inaccessibility. Read more here
NEWS
Top cop visits illegal quarry, raids weed farm
Commissioner of Police (CoP) Allister Guevarro, accompanied by a team that included members of the Special Branch, visited the site of an illegal quarry in Manuel Congo, on July 2. A source close to the investigation said the location had been under surveillance by the Multi-Agency Task Force. On June 29, an illegal quarry operator was reported to be pumping tonnes of silt into the Guanapo River, threatening to disrupt the water supply for thousands of residents. Earlier, on June 25, officers of the elite Multi-Agency Task Force had been alerted to the illegal quarrying activity, and a report was sent to the commissioner’s office. Read more here
TTUTA unhappy with early dismissal of schools today: It’s a disruption
As T&T prepares to welcome India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, parents, teachers and education stakeholders are not pleased with the Government’s decision to disrupt schools. President of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) Martin Lum Kin questioned whether the Government considered the fact that schools are currently in examination mode at this time before deciding to dismiss classes at 11.30 am today. Read more here
POLITICS
Expert on ORTT for Modi: Negatives, positives to consider
DR ANTHONY GONZALES, former head of the Institute for International Relations, UWI, St Augustine, has some concerns over allegations being made against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but overall has no problem with him being awarded the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ORTT), he told Newsday on July 2. Modi is due to arrive in TT on July 3 where he will be presented with the ORTT by President Christine Kangaloo, and later attend a diaspora cultural show, and on July 4 address a joint assembly of both Houses of Parliament. Read more here
‘Wickedness!’... PNM claims 4,608 workers on breadline after Govt axes 144 reforestation contractors
With almost 20,000 contractors and workers now on the breadline, Opposition Chief Whip Marvin Gonzales and Opposition Senator Faris Al-Rawi say their firings are “wickedness,” “vindictiveness” and “political pettiness” on the part of the Government. Speaking during a media conference at Balisier House, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, the men chastised the United National Congress’ (UNC) decision to terminate workers at various state entities over the past couple weeks. Their comments came after contractors and workers attached to the Ministry of Rural Development’s Reforestation and Watershed Rehabilitation Programme were terminated yesterday. Read more here
BUSINESS
From CO2 to CASH: Trinidad and Tobago's carbon market potential
Combating climate change while maintaining a stable economy might seem contradictory, as the fact remains that most of the world's most economically viable industries produce high emissions. Farming, which may seem environmentally friendly, still produces 20 per cent of the world’s emissions according to 2020 statistics. The energy used to power the tools we use every day comes at a cost – record-high 37.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions recorded in 2023 by the International Energy Agency. Read more here
Olsen’s $350M Roxborough vision being realised
Garry Olsen, an experienced property developer from upstate New York, first visited Tobago as part of an international hotel consultancy 40 years ago. In subsequent visits to the island, he spotted some flat land on the windward side of island in the community of Roxborough and thought to himself that it would make a great development. Olsen’s vision for a property development on the oceanfront at Roxborough was unveiled last month when the multinational hospitality company, Hilton, announced the signing of Elephant Tree Resort and Villas Tobago, the first Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel on the island, scheduled to open in 2028. The all-in cost of the project—including a private wastewater treatment plant, water storage and land acquisition—is TT$350 million, which is about US$52 million. Read more here
REGIONAL
US$2M airstrip to boost rice production, unlock new opportunities in Mahaica
Serving hundreds of rice farmers, a new airstrip at Handsome Tree Mahaica (Region 4) was commissioned on Wednesday. The investment, which saw an input of just about $US 2 million, will boost local rice production in the area and see farmers cutting costs. Speaking at the ceremonial opening of the airstrip, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill stated that the new facility will provide improved efficiency, potentially leading to further economic expansion. Read more here
INTERNATIONAL
Trump calls on US central bank head to quit immediately
US President Donald Trump has called for the chair of the Federal Reserve to quit right away, in an escalation of his attacks on Jerome Powell. "'Too Late' should resign immediately!!!", Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. He also included a link to a news article about a US federal housing regulator calling for Mr Powell to be investigated over his testimony about renovations to the central bank's Washington headquarters. Trump nominated Mr Powell to be the Fed chair during his first term. Since then, he has repeatedly criticised him for not cutting interest rates but it is unclear whether the president has the authority to remove him from the post. Read more here
3rd July 2025