Clarke

The government will be divesting its share of the coffee industry. Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke announced in the Budget Debate yesterday that the divestment plan would be taken to Cabinet shortly, after which details of the programme would be announced.

Declaring the Government's support for the private sector as "the engine of growth", Mr. Clarke said that it was no longer considered necessary for the state to play as substantial a role as it traditionally has, in the production and marketing of coffee. The Government's role should be restricted to being a facilitator and regulator, he said.

In announcing the divestment plan, he promised that it would be carried out in a "transparent, open, fair, equitable and objective" manner. This, he said, would be done with due regard "to the long-term interest of the industry and the welfare of our workers and farmers."