Business View Caribbean - November 2015 69
The TTMA divides its members into several
manufacturing sub-sectors:
• Assembly-type and related industries
• Chemicals and non-metallic materials
• Food, beverage and tobacco
• Household products
• Printing, publishing, and paper converters
• Steel products
• Textiles and garments
• Wood and wood-related products
So, while the country’s main source of income (and
80 percent of its exports) still comes from the petro-
chemical industry, which takes advantage of the is-
lands’ plentiful oil and natural gas reserves, over the
last several decades, its manufacturing sub-sectors
(particularly the Food, Beverage and Tobacco, and
the Chemicals and Non-Metallic Minerals industries),
have greatly contributed to an economy that helps
make Trinidad and Tobago the third richest country,
per capita, in the Americas after the United States and
Canada.
How does the modern TTMA “promote, encourage and
assist the growth and development of manufacturing
industries in Trinidad and Tobago?” According to Ma-
hindra Ramdeen, the Association’s Chief Executive
Officer, one major way is by lobbying the government
Mahindra Ramdeen, CEO
Dr. Ralph Balgobin, President
