Former president of the San Fernando Business Association (SFBA) Daphne Bartlett is calling on the Central Bank Governor Ewart Williams to say whether there is a shortage of US currency in the local market.
She said a lack of foreign exchange is causing serious concerns for the business community. Bartlett's comments comes one day after the president of the Downtown Merchant Association (DOMA) Gregory Aboud said Port-of-Spain merchants were experiencing difficulty in accessing US currency to pay their suppliers.
Aboud said this was creating a serious impact on the business community as the good credit facilities they enjoyed with their suppliers were in danger of being changed. Yesterday, Bartlett confirmed that in spite of assurances in the past by the Central Bank that there was no shortage, "one can no longer walk into the bank and ask for US$10,000." She said: "This situation has been existing for years. The local banks tell you they have to call head office for head office to release funds even though you produce documents from customs where you would have paid duty and customs to clear your goods. "Someone needs to explain why the business community is going through this torture," she said.