Pan fund to take national instrument global

LoopTT.com

Pictured: Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon (left) and MIC-IT Chairman Prof. Clement Imbert (right). Photo by Darlisa Ghouralal.

Trinidad & Tobago, W.I. - Recognising the importance of the country’s national instrument, Government has approved TT$5 million for the establishment of a Steelpan Manufacturing Grant Fund Facility.

Speaking at a media conference on Tuesday, Trade and Industry Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon said the financial support will provide steelpan manufacturers with the means to acquire machinery, equipment, software, tools, raw material and training.

The funding will be made available in tranches of up to $250,000, but no more than $1,000,000 per entity.

Gopee-Scoon said Government was intent on seeing the country’s national instrument flourish at the global level with input from industry experts, tapping into the industry’s potential for job creation, increased foreign exchange earnings and economic diversification.

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  • Whoopdedamdoo!! Great for pan. Who will mind the $$? Next step...forensic audits. Just keepin’ it real.

    • Queen Victoria - "The Suspect Band" - 2019

  • Black Stalin - Mister Pan Maker

  • While this is a good step in the right direction,pan builders/tuners need to get the main problems sorted out so that the product from Trinidad will be fully accepted abroad. The first is proper quality drums to produce instruments. After Van Leer left Trinidad, material was imported by NP  and drums of proper quality were produced by them. NP got out of it and gave the dye to Pantinbago who went bust after a while and drums from them have not been forthcoming,although the new administration were supposed to restart and produce,but to date this has not happened.

    The second thing and most important to the finished product is proper chrome plating of the pans. If not the government, some group/company should look into this as not only pan would be chromed but many other things e.g rims,car bumpers,various parts for appliances etc. The standard of chrome plating has declined from what was done before,with tuners having little or no redress for shoddy work. Instruments are sometimes delivered with abrasions and are not on par with what is done in other countries. These two situations need to be taken care of.

    • Mr. Gerard Clarke: Yuh come and RAIN ON HIGH RANKING PEOPLE PARADE!!!

      Doh forget this is an ELECTION YEAR -- so doh take this(ole talk) project too seriously!!!

      • Alphabet Elections. ..Vote for Q (2020 Calypso )

  • GREAT IDEA!

    That's what I call taking a 'moonshot'.
    I am tempted to borrow the chorus of a very old calypso and an iconic title by CLR James.
    The Chorus:
    "Go far eet,
    Go far eet  (Go for it)
    Go far eet in de boundary"

    Hit them for 6 Professor Clem..
    Take Pan "Beyond The Boundary".

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