David Thompson takes cost of living to rasshole up!

De Standpipe Crew overheard a conversation last night between some taxi drivers who were lambasting the DLP government. One on them remarked: “Time for change? Thompson say he gine bring down de cost o living. He cah um tuh rasshole up!”

So, Mr. Prime Minister, what do you have to say to those taxi drivers and to the people of Barbados?

Those of us who were foolish enough to waste our votes on promises of change are now starting to see it all around us. We can’t wait for the next election to come so we can get rid of these DLP liars. Five years is a long time and a lot can happen both within the DLP and also with the BLP and the risingly vocal PEP, but if elections were to be held today we are sure that Thompson would be kicked to hell out.

De Standpipe Crew

http://www.nationnews.com/story/322858781748635.php

BEEFED UP LIST
Published on: 4/20/08.

by RICKY JORDAN

LOOK FOR PRICE INCREASES in beef, lamb, pork, eggs and possibly chicken by next month – along with major challenges for small farmers – since the price of animal feed has just gone up by 25 per cent.

This warning has come from chief executive officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS), James Paul, who called it the biggest price increase ever for farmers.

“Never in the history of price increases have you had such a major one affecting farmers across the board in one fell swoop,” he told the SUNDAY SUN in an interview just days after the island’s lone feed manufacturer Pinnacle Feeds announced the April 16 increase.

The price, according to Pinnacle, has been “adjusted upward by 28 cents per kilogramme [12 cents per pound]“, which means that, for example, a pound of broiler starter priced at 47 cents last week now costs 59 cents, while finisher is up from 45 to 57 cents per pound.

This follows a recent $1.3 million Government subsidy which allowed Pinnacle to sell at the old price between February 18 and March 31.

This, according to BAS president Wendell Clarke, will see “a ten to 15 per cent increase” in the “farmgate price” [from farmers to supermarkets and individuals] of meat, obviously resulting in an even higher increase for shoppers.

In fact, the impact of the rise in feed prices is already showing in the price of live birds, with a circular from Gale’s Agroproducts notifying poultry farmers on Friday that from May 1, broiler chicks would cost an additional 15 cents and layer chicks an additional 35 cents per bird.

“Right now, an egg costs about 60 cents, but is expected to rise to about 75. We have to pass on the costs to somebody,” said farmer and feed distributor Sylvester Cutting, who also predicted a rise in the current turkey price of $7.50 per pound and the price of pork from $6 to about $7 per pound.

“It can get out of control, but if Government really wants to do something, it can subsidise the farmers and not the distributors, or the manufacturer.

“In that case, the market would be a fair one,” said Cutting, who owns Sar’J Services Inc. that imports feed from St Vincent for the local market.

As far as “doing something” is concerned, Paul, a Government backbencher, said the BAS was discussing with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Commerce the current control price on chicken [$7.43 per kg], since poultry farmers would be the hardest hit by this increase.

“I’m hoping a resolution comes to this as soon as possible,” he said. “The Minister of Agriculture is out of the island at the moment, so I’m hoping that by Monday [tomorrow] we can resolve this.”

rickyjordan@

nationnews.com