ROGER CLARKE, the opposition spokesman on agriculture, wants the procedure by which certain agricultural imports are valued at Customs to be changed in order to protect local farmers.

Clarke has suggested that Customs be responsible for valuing select agricultural items being imported.

"Just like how you bring in a used car, whatever you tell them (Customs) that you pay for it, Customs tell you how much it worth and you charge on that," Clarke suggested during his contribution to the Budget Debate in Parliament yesterday.

According to Clarke, if local farmers are to survive, Government must find ways to prevent dumping on the local market. He said the ministry must think about applying allowable duty under the fair competition convention.

"When you bring in third-hand goods from abroad and say that you paid one cent per pound (Customs should) tell them that is your business (and price the goods based on local prices)," Clarke said.

As minister, Clarke had introduced a duty of 260 per cent on cabbage, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and chicken.

However, he said even with this mechanism the imported food still continued to end up in the market-place cheaper than local produce as the items were undervalued by the importers.

"The reason it did not work, Prime Minister, was that when they came with the invoice, the invoices were like for nothing ... The intention was to make sure that our farmers had that competitive advantage. It did not happen," Clarke said.

Resonance

Meanwhile, Clarke's suggestion has found resonance with Agriculture Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, who shouted from the government benches, "I support you 100 per cent."

The Budget Debate continues today with Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller due to speak. Like her fellow opposition members, Dr Omar Davies and Clarke, who chided the Government's $555.7-billion Budget, she is expected to speak to the implications of Government's tax policies on the country's most vulnerable.