BARVEN pleased with progress being made

by Marlon Madden

President of the Barbados Association of Retailers, Vendors and Entrepreneurs (BARVEN) Alister Alexander says he is satisfied the vending community continues to get the necessary attention it needs.

In fact, he said while Government has been putting certain policies in place, his organisation was working closely with Government’s other sector officials to introduce various programmes to further “uplift” the vending profession.

“We have a programme that is on its way to uplift the street vendors, where they will be given enhanced vending units. So the old trays will be a thing of the past,” said Alexander.

“That will now come under proper regulation, and where you will find that even those who have complained about certain behaviours of the public, all those things will be a thing of the past. They will also be given training programmes,” he said.

Opting not to provide details of the plans, Alexander said the training opportunities and enhancement programmes were already being rolled out “and you will hear more about it soon”.

“Again, you have to take one step at a time. Also, for the coconut vendors it is the same thing. There are serious plans being made for the whole industry, they are not seen now as some renegade people or brute.

They are seen as a diamond in the rough and we will make something great of it,” he said.

As part of an overall vending policy, Government has announced a planned development of the industry, promising to construct up to five designated areas for roadside vendors and to introduce standards.

A Vending and Market Facilitation Act has also been touted, that will among other things, make provision for expunging the records of wayside vendors who have been convicted for plying their trading illegally.

No timeline has been given for the full introduction of new policies.
Alexander told Today’s BUSINESS he was pleased with the steps being taken by Government to help the sector, stressing that vendors understood it will take some time.

“Everything still has to be done in time. You cannot pretend something can happen by you waving a wand and it comes to past,” he said. “I was asking for many years, various administrations, for us to have a vending policy. We have that now.

We have legislation coming to make this country vendor friendly. That is at the political and legislative level,” he said.

marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb