Antigua and Barbuda invites Architect Luke Robinson to present plan for UWI Five Islands

Antigua and Barbuda: The Cabinet invited Architect Luke Robinson to present a Master Plan for the UWI Five Islands. The team has been working for several months to produce a plan that will take into account the incorporation of the Five Islands Primary School property.

The plan will lead to an upgrade of the Primary School and the incorporation of 8 acres of private land into the new designs; the plan will also lead to new buildings, an Olympic-size swimming pool, an amphitheater, a massive library, and additional classrooms.

The object is to make UWI Five Islands even more attractive to OECS citizens. When it is completed, the UWI Five Islands is expected to occupy 40 acres of land and will comfortably accommodate 11,000 students.

The Cabinet discussed the situation as it pertains to eggs. At the moment Antigua and Barbuda is self-sufficient in egg production; however, the egg producers are reporting a reduction in their profits as a consequence of the increased costs in fuel, feed and other inputs.

Should the egg producers increase their prices to consumers, the Cabinet is of the view that imported eggs will become more affordable to large egg consumers like hotels and supermarkets and to households.

The Cabinet is unwilling to keep imported eggs out of the market if it would mean an increase in the cost of living. Many consumers have chosen eggs as a source of inexpensive animal protein and a part of many breakfasts.

The Cabinet is very much aware of the increased costs which the local egg producers face but implores them to keep their prices competitive such that there will be no need for imports to displace them in any market.

For this reason, the Cabinet proposes to have an accounting firm procure the services of a cost accountant, jointly acceptable to both the egg producers and the government, to examine the cost of producing a dozen eggs and the price for which the producers sell a dozen eggs. Until this study is completed, the Cabinet asks the egg producers to hold off any change in prices.