Peter Serieux is the Director of local banana company, Total Quality Fruit Company. He says he is disappointed that WIBDECO has blamed banana companies for over 23,000 tonnes of bananas being left to rot in the first two weeks of the year.

WIBDECO says the fruit was abandoned because the local companies’ production projection was way off for that period. Serieux says the situation occurred because of a December 2nd statement by WIBDECO Chairman Bernard Cornibert. He says Cornibert told farmers that WIBDECO would need and pay more for bananas in the first 26 weeks of the year.

Serieux also expressed disappointment with what he says is a bad start to the year. He says banana farmers are the losers when confusion exists between WIBDECO and local companies. He called on WIBDECO to clear up the confusion.

Serieux is also speaking to the contract that exists between WIBDECO and the companies. He says that contract stipulates that fruit would sell for more in these first 26 weeks. The first 26 weeks of banana production is equivalent to the first 6 months of the year.

In the lead-up to the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association annual general meeting various interest groups sit down with SLHTA to thrash out their major concerns. The small property sector articulated its fears to the SLHTA Tuesday. The ICC Cricket World 2007 is at the top of the list.

The hotels also want the issues affecting the quality, security and the supply of food to receive adequate attention. Despite some of the troubling issues, the major players in the hotel sector are upbeat especially about the level of dialogue and cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism.

A number of reports on the status of the organization will be presented to the general body at the SLHTA general meeting on Wednesday. A new executive will be elected.

Almost twenty per cent of the island’s lone electricity company is now owned by a Canadian utility company.That company is Emera Incorporated based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Emera is now considered a major LUCELEC shareholder having purchased the stock at the cost of US$22 million. Trevor Louisy is the LUCELEC Managing Director.

Louisy says the buy-out will change nothing in terms of the daily operations of the company. In fact, he sees it as an opportunity for growth within the local industry. One area where that growth will be felt is in diversification into alternative energy sources.

Louisy says former shareholder – Caribbean Basin Power Fund – has lost all say in the daily operations of the company. Emera is an energy and services company with $4 billion in assets. Electricity is its main business.

Security is receiving much attention ahead of the Cricket World Cup due to start here in less than two months. A Criminal Justice expert from the United States is conducting a week-long training exercise for Police, Firemen, Emergency personal and volunteers on being prepared for worst case scenarios.

St. Lucia’s security arrangements are falling into place, but officials are ensuring thorough planning. However, Dr. Wolf says he is here to share with local security personnel the measures other countries use when hosting events of such magnitude.

The Foreign security expert says the island must be prepared to deal with both big and small problems if they arise. He says they are not expected, but one can never be too certain.

Business owners and church leaders living in the vicinity of the Beausejour cricket grounds are being called to discuss security plans for the world cup. The local organizing committee – LOC – is bringing business owners and church leaders from Beausejour, Caye Manage, Bella Rosa and Bonne Terre together this weekend.

The meeting on Saturday will provide information and facilitate discussion on security plans for St. Lucia’s hosting of the cricket world cup. It will take place at the Beausejour cricket ground from 4.00 p.m. The LOC says the meeting is extremely important.

The indoor practice facility will be one of the legacies of hosting the Cricket World Cup. It is a world class facility that will allow for practice of all sports including cricket. It will also aid in the growth of the local sports tourism product.
Ernest Hilaire is the Chief Executive Officer of the Local Organizing Committee hosting the World Cup matches from March. He says the facility will ensure that practice is never at the mercy of the weather. The facility located left of the cricket stadium is multi-purpose. The facility will also have a seating capacity of 500. That capacity will facilitate sporting events during or after practice sessions.

Ground was recently broken on the practice facility. Hilaire will lead a tour of the structure on Wednesday.

Plans for the 15th annual Nobel laureate week are being finalized. Activities will run from January 21 to February 20, 2007 under the theme “celebrating excellence”. The week opens on January 21 with the performance of the musical “tinday”, by the students’ musical theatre.

The celebrations will include the Sir Arthur Lewis memorial essay competition, literary tributes to both Nobel laureates, the finals of the schools’ choral singing competition, the Derek Walcott lecture and the sir Arthur Lewis memorial lecture.

A dance production called “caged” will also be staged. This year’s Derek Walcott lecture will be delivered by Professor Mervyn Morris –professor emeritus of creative writing and West Indian literature, at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies. 

His topic - “Walcott and the language of the tribe”.  The lecture is scheduled for January 24. The Sir Arthur Lewis memorial lecture will be delivered by Dr. Mark Figueroa, dean of the faculty of social sciences at UWI’s Mona campus.  He will talk about “Arthur Lewis and the Political/Economic dialogue in the Caribbean” on January 26.

St. Lucia is getting set to host young dramatists at the end of January. Theatre arts teams from eight Caribbean countries will take part in the Caribbean schools drama festival. St. Lucia will join Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica and the British Virgin Islands.

The Caribbean schools drama festival will run from January 28 to February 2. The public will get an opportunity to witness the talents of regional dramatists.

The two drama clubs are ready to face off. They will compete against 6 other schools for the right to represent Saint Lucia. The eight schools are participants in a two day Secondary Schools Drama Competition. One of the schools is the Bocage Secondary School. The form three students are acting out a play called “Goose and Gander.”

The Saint Joseph’s Convent Drama group is another participant. The participating students are in Form four and five. Their play was written by a Dominican and is set in a village in 1984.

Two of the lead characters from the Bocage play are the father and daughter of one of the families. The story is similar to that of the Shakespeare classic “Romeo and Juliet.”

The male character “Amelia” loves is none other than calypsonian Mighty Floopsy. He plays the male character Curty. The eight schools will meet from 9:30 on Thursday.