The jobs of 500 Barbadians are currently hanging in the balance as the local garment manufacturing industry continues to be crippled by imports, said one of the island’s largest garment makers.
And Dean Straker, the co-managing director of Barbados Industries Ltd, is calling on Government to urgently put a policy in place to either keep the industry alive or allow operators to move in a different direction.
Straker told reporters at a Barbados Manufacturers Association (BMA) media conference at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Tuesday, that while the industry used to have thousands of workers, the 300 to 500 workers remaining could be put on the breadline if something was not done urgently.
“We have a situation where in my industry, which is garment manufacturing, those manufacturing companies are folding every year. They are getting less and less. You have to think to yourself, ‘why?’ People are going to shut because they are not making money. They are not making money because of all the imports that are happening.
“But I think Government needs to decide if they want to have garment manufacturing anymore and let those that are in it make future plans because everybody can import. But the fact of the matter is, I look at my staff every week and they have families.
“I go to pay them every Friday and I think to myself ‘what happens when I tell them one week that this is it’. A lot of people are going to be affected.”
He told reporters that once there was a clear policy, everyone would know exactly where they stand and what their next step should be, whether to say in the industry or move on.
And while he could not say how soon his company or any other could fold if they did not get their concerns addressed, Straker said the policy should be put in place “very soon or else, as I said, different aspects of manufacturing will fall by the wayside and garment manufacturing is traditionally big numbers”.
For decades, garment manufacturers in Barbados have been complaining about the impact of imported products on ever-dwindling factories.
“You have a situation here where Government needs to set the tone, they need to let Barbadians know ‘this is what we expect’.
“And we, for example, are telling our agencies, our ministries and statutory boards that you have to take tenders from Barbadian manufacturers and not from companies that have two or three staff in an office importing uniforms in the island.
“I am just saying for us to stay in business we need support. So if we don’t get that support then obviously we have to go the way of others.”
Straker said the Mottley administration was aware of the issues.
On day three of the Barbados Manufacturers’ Exhibition (BMEX) which concluded yesterday, Minister of International Business and Industry Ronald Toppin promised that a National Industrial Policy would be put in place to help revive manufacturing.
A first draft of the policy was to be ready by September and finalized before the end of the current financial year, he said.
Pointing to a decline over the years, Toppin acknowledged that the number of people employed in the sector, the number of companies, the level of investment and the contribution of the sector to the economy had all fallen significantly over the past decade.
While the Minister made no mention of garment manufacturers or any other groups, he also said there would be a national consultation with manufacturers in coming months so they could air their concerns and help to identify solutions.
Straker said he welcomed the idea of a national industrial policy, adding that this gave him some “hope”.
BMA executive director Shardae Boyce said she left the BMEX showcase with the feeling that the local manufacturing sector was in good hands, adding that she was most encouraged by the number of young people involved in the sector and the innovative products they were producing.
Pointing to plans for a national industry policy to help revive manufacturing, Boyce said: “These are things, from working in the profession, I know manufacturers will need to thrive.”
While there were still some furniture manufacturers, which was once a heavy focus on the island, the industry had seen a shift in recent years to more personal care items and food production.
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Shouldn’t be a problem in saving the jobs, but first, you have to produce good quality garments, because that was one of the main downfalls of the garment industry in the first place!
Dude. You need to find a way to complete or shut down and find something else to do. You can’t expect the government to make everything expensive for others so you can make things they don’t want for less. The answer to keeping people employed, is not to prevent cheap imports, but to find out what is too expensive to import and make that instead.
Use technology to reduce cost if you can. Maybe you have too bigamy’s staff to be competitive. But if you are not making money, you need to find something else to do.
Dean, your party in power. But what you’re asking for is protectionism, which will breach international trade treaties.
This is very sad but your country is like our country (UK). It is cheaper to import clothes from China, Taiwan etc than to make them. I say this as an ex dressmaker. I can buy ready made clothes cheaper than I can buy the material, pattern etc. I do see baseball caps for sale with “Barbados” embroidered on them but see that they were made in China. I remember when they were made in Barbados. Likewise printed tee shirts. I still have two that are many years old that were made in Barbados and they are excellent quality.
ln any industry quality is important . Some of the items that are manufactured here are of no good quality at times and is very expensive.. In the past I myself went to Trinidad and bought my grandkids school clothes.. Shirts especially.. Very good quality and reasonably priced.. And they lasted long… Even Polo shirts
Same thing.. Reasonably priced and excellent quality.. Just a mention of a few things bought that are manufactured here.. Do the maths.. Enough said.
Ms. Boomer did you factor in the cost of airfare, accommodation etc.?
There are a lot of things produced in Barbados that are of high quality and we can only grow and get better as go forward.
I have bought products made in countries that are supposed to high tech but were inferior. The trade war raging between the US and some of its trading partners has a lot to do with the US determination to localize its manufacturing industry.
If the US that has trillions of dollars at disposal is looking to reduce imports how is that Barbados, with less than 12 months supply of foreign reserves is advocating to increase imports?
Our import bill should have been cut in half by now if the government was serious about our economic viability. But this is matter that will require a change in the mindset of Barbadians.
Does the manufacturing sector provide financial support for political parties, if not, you’re not important to them.
Branding and social development… people won’t like something or wear it if they don’t know about it.
There’s no “hype” around them.
There’s young designers on island that struggle but have great concepts and designs…. COLLABORATE!!!!!!!
Quality is KEY . There is no reason why Janorus in Trinidad should be able to come here and offer barbadian companies complete packages including flying in staff to measure fit and adjust uniforms at the all stages of the process. After they do that they then DELIVER ON TIME FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY . Ya cant get some bajan garment companies to just deliver on time. Ignore all the other pluses the foreign factories offering . A company here cant even guaranty accurate delivery
The decline of this sector only came about during the last 10 years (the lost decade). ONCE AGAIN, BLAME THE DLP.
I would rather pay a bit more for a domestic item over an imported item. Knowing it is made locally means employment for someone and the funds stay local. If something is amiss, check the label to see who to complain to.
You will get what you want because you are a big supporter of this government
Boy you dead I can get shirts for 3 dollars and good quality from a sweatshop in Bangladesh!!!!
Yeltsin see if the government will now listen because the dwindling industry is now impacting a local white boy. For years under both regimes Mapps Garments, Winifred Industries, Coopers Garments and many others have been asking for protection. There has been a lot of talk even when the PM had responsibility for garments under Owen Arthur. Dean is a member of the Party and he was one who marched against the DLP. He gave the vote to Mia so let’s watch her
Buy. Wear it once. Wash it and its not use after that. Quality poor. Prices high
We cannot compete with Trinidad. Cheaper labour costs, Cheaper energy costs, cheaper rents, more productive people. They probably also have access to better quality fabric from India at better prices because they can buy a larger volume. We need to make good quality bedding and Towels which demand a higher price. Retail a good quality Beach Towel costs over $100.00 retail. Good bedding costs over $100.00 per sheet or more.Very little work involved just cutting to size and hemming. T shirts can be purchased in florida 3 for $10.00 or even less. We can never compete. Buy good quality shirts from Gildan largest company in the World. Put a good quality barbados brand logo in it and charge $60.00 .Golf Shirts $80.00. Polo and all the Brands do it and they charge US dollars. May be this way the Cruise ship passengers will buy and spend more money. A t shirt with Bob Marley or a marijuana leaf on it does not represent Barbados. Label it made in Barbados. Must be of good quality so people will wear it and advertise Barbados as a destination.