RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/STR/Q1/TTO/2
1 June 1999
(99-2201)
Working Party on
State Trade EnterprisesOriginal:  English
STATE TRADING
Replies to Questions posed by the UNITED STATES1 concerning
the Updating Article XVII Notification of TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO2
The following communication, dated 21 May 1999, has been received from the Permanent
Mission of Trinidad and Tobago.
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Q. The notification for Trinidad and Tobago is a comprehensive and highly commendable
notification.  One omission appears to be inform ation about the National Flour Mill Ltd. and its
share of total imports.  Could Trinidad and To bago clarify whether the National Flour Mill Ltd.
has a monopoly of wheat and flour imports.  Does  the National Flour Mill Ltd. resell its imports
to other mills?  If so, at what mark-up?
Reply
The Mission has been advised by the competent authorities in Trinidad and Tobago that the
National Flour Mills Limited (NFM) is in the business of importing wheat, soyabeans and crudesoyabean oil, semi-milled rice and corn for the production and/or distribution of flour and related
wheat by-products;  crude, refined and hydrogenated soyabean oil and soyabean meal;  fully milled
rice, and corn for the animal feed industry.  As is the case in most other Caribbean countries, only one
flour mill and one soyabean crushing plant operate in Trinidad and Tobago.  There are currently no
restrictions on the importation of wheat or flour into Trinidad and Tobago.  NFM, by reason of thefact that it operates the only flour mill in the coun try, is the sole importer of wheat.  In the case of
flour, NFM does not have a monopoly and there ha ve been flour imports from both CARICOM and
extra-CARICOM sources.  Since no other flour mill s operate in Trinidad and Tobago, NFM has never
been faced with the question of reselling to another mill in its domestic market.  NFM has on occasion
come to the aid of other flour mills in the region by supplying wheat in cases of emergency.
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1 G/STR/Q1/TTO/1
2 G/STR/N/3/TTO