Drugs in agri produce harming Guyana’s image and economic livelihood of farmers – Persaud

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Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud said on Tuesday, May 10, that the discovery of drugs in agricultural exports from Guyana is a “living nightmare” for the government, has many implications for Guyana’s image, and threatens the agriculture sector and the livelihoods of farmers.

“Let me state that, for me, it is our living nightmare in terms of what it can do to harm the great possibility we have for agriculture exports, and including forestry,” Persaud said.

He added that when a report of that nature arises, the ministry allows other stakeholder agencies to be involved because the ministry cannot deal with the security aspect of the matter.

“We depend on the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), CANU and the Guyana Police Force for ensuring that the necessary checks are in place to prevent it.” Persaud said the ministry also collaborates on some level with the Customs Anti- Narcotics Unit (CANU) to ensure no export shipment is contaminated. “Outside of what has been established, we’ve put an arrangement in place, even with CANU, to have additional checks and additional reviews as much as possible, to ensure that we don’t have our shipments contaminated or breached by these elements, who are harming national security and the national economic livelihood of our country.”

On March 16, Jamaican police officers seized five bags of cocaine, weighing some 122.65 kilos, found among a consignment of lumber on the Vega Azurit, a vessel which had sailed from Port Georgetown on March 11. No one has since been arrested for the drugs.

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