St Vincent & The Grenadines

"Our banana pains continue to intensify, the prognosis appears to be very bleak. The recent WTO ruling has left us dazed and helpless. The concept of every man being his brother's keeper has been shattered.

Can we survive? Would our cries for help go unheeded? What about neighbours? Are they deaf or uncaring? I know it now.

Money and greed have been elevated to the status of a religion and care and concern are now regarded a vice. Our future is now on a life support system. However, I am confident that our resourcefulness and faith will see us through."

Saint Vincent and The Grenadines consists of a chain of islands in the Eastern Caribbean Sea, of which the biggest, Saint Vincent, lives under the threat of the volcano La Soufriere. The country achieved independence in 1979.

Since the mid 1980s, the Government has been facing a series of difficulties, including the public finance deficit, and challenges, such as establishing a favourable climate for investment, land reform and agricultural diversification. Although the economy registered exceptional growth rates between 1985 and 1989, real growth slowed down afterwards, and since 1990 there has been increasing unemployment.

Like Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a volcanic, mountainous country, with negligible natural resources. Over the years to 1992, GDP growth averaged approximately 6 per cent per year, primarily reflecting the expansion in banana production and tourism.

The World Bank has commented that the ongoing shakeout in the banana industry has resulted in:

With increasing unemployment, any loss in work opportunities as a result of losing the protection of the EU banana regime would have devastating effects.