by RICKY JORDAN

CROP-OVER 2006 may be the last mas' for subventions to calypso tents.

Speaking at the National Cultural Foundation's Press briefing about Delta Airlines' sponsorship of Crop-Over yesterday, chief executive officer Ian Estwick said that with a private/public sector company to be launched next year to run the festival's profit-making events, the responsibility of the subventions would be passed on to that entity.

Estwick said in light of this, he had issued a one-year offer for the subventions to each of the eligible tents, which had been accepted.

He said while Crop-Over's developmental events would continue to be managed by the NCF, the paying events like Party Monarch and Cohobblopot would fall under the private/public sector company.

Estwick said the subvention, which the NCF started in 1987, had risen to $15 000 per tent, while the foundation also paid each tent $2 500 to assist with marketing and $1 000 for recording.

"The subvention is not a right, and I've always said that. When it was first introduced, it was meant to start off the tents and be gradually weaned out. Instead, the opposite has occurred," he said.

Meanwhile, the Barbados Association of Tent Managers which remains the lone umbrella body for kaiso tents, was not surprised at the news.

President Sinclair Gittens said BATMAN would have to negotiate with the new profit-making entity in an entirely different way from the NCF.

"We'd have to sit down and talk with the new company and possibly look at charging it a participation fee and not a subvention which can be pulled at any time," said Gittens.

"It would have to pay the tents to stage the competitions' preliminaries, unless there's a partnership between the company and the tents," he added.

Adrian "Boo" Husbands, manager of Socaholic Headliners which is not a BATMAN member, said the subvention was important, but tents might now have to find creative ways to survive.

"It certainly is handy. For some tents, it's critical," he stated. Saying he would "cross that bridge" when it comes, he said his priority was to find as creative a way as possible to keep Headliners running.

"It (loss of subvention) might actually help to raise the standard," he added.

Asked whether the news had surprised him, Husbands said no. "It couldn't go on like that. What if you get 100 tents? There can be no limit to tents," he said, noting a tent only had to meet the criteria of being in operation for three years to qualify for the $15 000 subvention.

The new company's introduction was announced by Prime Minister Owen Arthur at the annual Crop-Over sponsors' breakfast in April.

rickyjordan@nation news.com