by Ricky Jordan

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO'S business culture is vastly different from Barbados' anti-competition culture, says Prime Minister David Thompson, and he welcomes investment from the twin-island republic.

Against the background of the Barbados Shipping & Trading (BS&T) buyout by Neal & Massy and other major investment by Trinidad in Barbados' food distribution, agriculture, media and technology sectors, Thompson said last week that certain anti-competition business practices had become entrenched in Barbados.

However, he said he did not expect Trinidadian investors to follow that trend.

Noting that from his experience "the business culture of Trinidadians and Tobagonians was different in many respects to the business culture of Barbadians", he promised that such longstanding monopolistic Barbadian practices would be eliminated under his administration.

"Specifically in relation to Trinidadian investment in large conglomerates in Barbados, I believe those investors would be aware of my Government's policy, and we intend to carry it out.

"Therefore if there are practices that militate against competition, we will expect them as dutiful citizens of the Caribbean investing in Barbados to work on eliminating those practices," he said.

Thompson spoke at a media conference to mark his visit with Trinbagonian Prime Minister Patrick Manning at the Diplomatic Centre in Port-of-Spain.