September 2015 Issue Business View Caribbean

Business View Caribbean - September 2015 55 Of course, as a state-owned entity, National Quarries also must keep its prices affordable. Cook feels that this mandate is what helps keep the entire market stable - the constraint that National Quarries has on it- self also acts to constrain its competitors. “If National Quarries were removed from the equation,” he avers, “prices could become unstable. The industry is char- acterized by a lot of privately-owned quarries. We are the only state-owned quarry. Without us, there is noth- ing really to stop them from adjusting their price as they see fit.” National Quarries is also cognizant of its mission to help preserve Trinidad’s environment. “When you have a mining license you’re required by law to engage in the rehabilitation of exhausted areas,” explains Cook. “In the past, once the resources were extracted, the quarry was simply abandoned without any type of care