The East Caribbean Group of Companies (ECGC), the largest flour exporter in the OECS, has announced a major reduction in flour prices across the region, calling it an “Independence gift” to OECS member states and Barbados. The price cuts, ranging from 5% to 10%, will take effect on October 25th in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and on November 1st in other OECS countries and Barbados.
In a move set to benefit consumers, bakeries, and businesses, the price drop applies to both bulk flour and retail packaged products. ECGC will lower prices on its “Cream of the Islands” and “CariGold” 100lb bags by an average of $6 to $10 EC Dollars. Additionally, retail prices for bagged flour sold in community stores will fall by an average of 10 cents per pound, while premium brands such as Easy Bake, Purity, and CariGold will see reductions ranging from 30 to 90 cents on supermarket shelves.
“This reduction speaks to our commitment to communities across the OECS islands and Barbados while we continue to provide the best high-quality flour,” said ECGC CEO J. Robert Cato. He added, “Lower flour prices enhance affordability for families, promote local businesses in the OECS, and ultimately fuel growth in our economies.”
The timing of this price adjustment coincides with Independence celebrations across the region, including St. Vincent and the Grenadines on October 27th, Antigua and Barbuda on November 1st, Dominica on November 3rd, and Barbados on November 30th.
Cato credited the price reduction to recent capital investments and production efficiencies, as well as favorable market conditions in wheat futures. Despite ongoing global challenges, including inflationary pressures and geopolitical conflicts in key wheat-producing regions, ECGC remains committed to supporting the Caribbean.
“At ECGC, we still face inflationary headwinds around other costs—specifically labor, energy, freight, and natural disasters—but we are very clear that this price reduction on ECGC flour is the right thing to do. Businesses must give back to our communities, and now is a great time,” Cato said.
The countries set to benefit from ECGC’s price reduction include Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Montserrat, and Carriacou.