Scrap metal ban disappoints Samuda

Gary Spaulding and Livern Barrett, Gleaner Writers

Former Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Karl Samuda has expressed disappointment at the Government's decision to impose an indefinite ban on scrap metal exports, an industry with which he wrestled since taking office in 2007.

Samuda yesterday lamented that plans put in place during his tenure, for the establishment of a mechanism to weed out nefarious scrap metal operators, seem to have been arbitrarily kicked aside with the entry of new minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, this month.

Noting that he had always understood the high levels of frustration scrap metal thieves have caused the productive and other sectors, Samuda told The Gleaner that two months before he left office, he dispatched a list of suspected illegal scrap metal operators to the Police High Command.

"We are literally surrendering to the rogue elements within the industry," the former minister complained. "I am, in fact, disappointed that the decision made has resulted in a total ban."

Plan was in place

Samuda claimed that towards the end of his stint in the ministry, the final touches were being put in place to expel illegal operators from the trade.

"A plan was left in place which provided for the establishment of a central site from which all scrap metal to be exported would be stored and placed on display for a minimum of 10 days," he said. "This site would be under the direct supervision and monitoring of the police and the customs officials."

Under the plan, the responsi-bility for loading and exporting would be monitored by the police and the ministry under the Jamaica Commodity Trading Commission.

"The plan would not prevent existing dealers from collecting materials, but all such materials would have to be transported to the central site, but Jamaica Commodity Trading would be responsible for the actual exporting," Samuda explained.

He told The Gleaner that plans were also made for a facility to accommodate illegal scrap metal. This, he said, would enable victims to carry out their own inspection.

"It appears that honest and legitimate operators will be punished," he said.

Cabinet decision

The decision to ban the industry indefinitely was taken by Cabinet on Monday and announced yesterday by Tufton.

"The Government has taken the decision to shut down the industry. There will be no more trading of scrap metal in the foreseeable future," Tufton told journalists at his New Kingston offices.

"This was not an easy decision. We took some time to deliberate over the issues. At the end of the deliberations, the decision was taken that based on a cost-benefit analysis, it is better off for the economy not to have an [scrap metal] industry at this time," he added.

Tufton, however, indicated that an arrangement would be put in place by the end of the year that would allow companies that generate their own scrap metal to apply for a permit to export them.

The scrap metal industry, which has been around since 2003, has come in for harsh criticisms in the wake of an upsurge in the theft of valuable infrastructure, including train lines and national artefacts.

Tufton said this, and the failure of industry players to implement measures to curb it, were among the reasons that influenced Cabinet's decision.

When contacted, Jonathan Aarons, the president of the Scrap Metal Federation of Jamaica, declined to comment, saying he had not yet seen Tufton's statement to the media.