De Allie: We need to stabilize it, revitalize it and get it back on track

The chairman of the Marketing and National Importing Board (MNIB) is promising that by year-end, the state-owned corporation will be restructed and will achieve “financial stability’’.

Christopher De Allie, the MNIB chairman, said a restructuring plan, ending December 2019, has been presented to the government of Grenada. Government is backing the overhaul of the corporation by providing financial support, he added.

“Government has agreed to inject some money into the Marketing Board to deal with its financial issues. As well, we are going to be restructuring the organisation so that we save costs in some areas that we believe can be efficiently changed,’’ Mr De Allie said in an interview with the Barnacle.

His appointment as chairman followed recent allegations of misappropriation of funds at MNIB. The allegations are being investigated by the Office of the Integrity Commission. Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell, who also is Minister of Finance, is among witnesses so far to appear before the commission as part of its information-gathering process.

“I believe the immediate issue for Marketing Board is to ensure that its financial stability is achieved and its ability to pay its bills on time,’’ said Mr De Allie, who is a member of the Upper House of Parliament.

He disclosed that under the restructuring plan, MNIB is examining such things as “revenue generation and how we could improve that, issues of cost control’’ and attaining “efficiency in operations’’.

“We have to ensure that what we have now is corrected and Marketing Board continues to be a strong entity,’’ said Mr De Allie. “We need to stabilize it, revitalize it and get it back on track.’’

The MNIB chairman said one particular area of concern, where the corporation “struggled’’ in the past year, is on the “commodity side’’ that deals with items such as rice, milk and sugar and in the payment to suppliers.

One group of suppliers, with whom MNIB had no challenge forwarding payment, was to its locally contracted farmers.

“The farmers’ account has always been kept with sufficient resources to meet the bills of farmers,’’ Mr De Allie said. “There may be instances here and there where some payments may have been late; but, generally, the farmers’ account has always been serviced.’’

An important function of MNIB, said Mr De Allie, is ensuring that farmers have a “constant place’’ to sell their produce.

As well, according to Mr De Allie, “there’s a lot of positive sides to the Marketing Board’’, including its internationally approved food safety Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification, and the overseas markets that are buying Grenada’s sour soup and golden apple.

“To have HACCP certification is not a little thing. It is a big thing; and to also maintain it is a considerable thing,’’ he said.

“The message to farmers is that Marketing Board continues to be there to serve them. We will continue to do all in our power to ensure that we make the situation for farmers better as we continue along the recovery track. Don’t count us out.’’