Government Moves To Raise The Level Of Street Vending By The Restructuring Of The Informal Sector

Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 22, 2021 (SKNIS): Street vending in St. Kitts will be better organized and structured in the coming weeks and months as the government continues to create more opportunities to streamline the activity and boost the prospects of vendors while enhancing the look and feel of Basseterre.

Many micro business owners or vendors, the majority selling agricultural produce, are now operating from the Basseterre Public Market, which is centralized and offers a safer environment for all buyers and sellers. Additionally, food trucks will soon operate from a new location on North Independence Square Street. Other areas around the island have also been identified for community marketing activities, decentralizing vending from the nation’s capital.

Austin Jay Farier, Chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Street Vending, said that the reorganization will uplift the informal business sector.

“There are persons in the informal sector that know how to navigate the informal sector and know eventually, that in order to live up to their full potential, they might have to formalize themselves,” Mr. Farier stated on ‘Working for You’ on July 21, 2021, adding that many vendors have struggled because of their inexperience.

Mr. Farier indicated that the government has many avenues that micro-businesses owners can tap into to increase their business skills, thereby enhancing opportunities for profitability.

“If you want to do anything, ask for help. There is more than enough support,” he expressed. “We were trained to view persons on the streets as budding entrepreneurs, and we were trained to offer the necessary support for them to develop their business. But if they are going to develop their businesses, we want them to develop in a safe, healthy, and lawful way.”

The Small Business Development Centre is one such agency that assists micro and small businesses. It offers general technical assistance including, business plan development, business training, assistance with import duty concession applications, and general business counselling.