OVER 4,000 locally-manufactured goods could be negatively affected by the signing of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA).

The EPA is an agreement between the European Union and African, Pacific and Caribbean (ACP) countries to create a free trade area.

Yesterday, the Opposition United National Congress-Alliance (UNC-A) held consultations of its own on the issue and one of their main concerns was the effect the EPA would have on local goods.

"There are over 4,000 products on the trade list and nobody knows how much they will be affected," St Augustine MP Vasant Bharath said.

Bharath and Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh met with members of the San Juan Business Association and San Fernando Chamber of Commerce yesterday at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition at Charles Street, Port of Spain.

The main concern of both the Opposition and the businessmen was what they said was a lack of information about the EPA and how it would affect local manufacturers and small businesses.

"Recently the Trade Minister said 0.5 per cent of trade will be affected. But in our petroleum-based economy 0.5 per cent may be the small manufacturers and small businesses. We need more information from the Ministry of Trade. Even when you call officials at the Ministry they themselves do not know," Imtiaz Ali of the San Juan Business Association said.

"As an alternative government we decided to meet with and speak to stakeholders and understand their feelings," Gopeesingh said.

Gopeesingh said he hopes the Government will not sign the documents without further consultations and said his party intends to raise the matter in parliament and go to the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery Team on the issue.