Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud in talks with his Trinidadian counterpart, Vasant Bharath, in Trinidad
Trinidadian businessmen are reportedly interested in buying beef, mutton and copra from Guyana. At a meeting in Port of Spain, Trinidad last Wednesday, the investors related their interest to Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, who was on a visit to Trinidad and Jamaica, where he discussed agricultural trade matters with key players in those two Caribbean countries.
While in the twin- island republic, Persaud met importers of rice and other agricultural produce.
Prior to that meeting with the investors, though, the minister met Trinidad’s Minister of Food Production, Land & Marine Affairs, Vasant Bharath, for discussions on outstanding agricultural trade issues regarding Guyana’s produce getting greater access to the Trinidad market.
These included talks on rice exports between the two states, as well as supply of other agricultural goods.
The two ministers held discussions about the request from Trinidad authorities for the removal of pineapple crowns from pineapples and the stems from peppers before they are shipped to Trinidad.
However, Guyanese producers maintain that removal of the crowns and stems from these produce would shorten their shelf lives.
Persaud related this concern, and the Trinidadian authorities have since committed to revisiting this request.
Discussions with the businessmen, on the other hand, included the Trinidadians’ interest in sourcing mutton and beef from Guyana.
Minister Persaud advised the investors that these two items are part of Guyana’s agricultural diversification programme. He emphasised that Guyana is certified free of foot-and-mouth disease, is without vaccination from the International Office of Epizootics (OIE), and that Guyana is ready to export beef and mutton to Trinidad. Guyana, being geographically linked to neighbouring Brazil, has often been questioned in regard to the mentioned concerns by importers interested in sourcing meat from Guyana.
Since 2006, Guyana has facilitated three teams from Trinidad to visit and inspect the facilities involved in meat production, but none of the ventures has so far borne fruit. Guyana, however, currently exports beef to Grenada.
During the meetings in Port of Spain, Minister Persaud also discussed the possibility of Trinidadians further investing in Guyana, including sourcing copra and establishing an oil mill in Guyana. Coconut water is currently being bottled in the Pomeroon by a Trinidadian firm for the Trinidad & Tobago Agri-Business Association (TTABA).
Back in December 2006, Minister Persaud wrote the then Trinidadian Agriculture Minister, Jarrett Narine, seeking greater access to the Trinidadian market for more of Guyana’s agricultural produce. Since then, and due to subsequent interventions by Persaud, the list of admissible produce from Guyana to Trinidad has increased from six to 22, inclusive of rice, rice products and wood.
Persaud has often criticised the trade barriers facing Guyanese agricultural exporters in accessing a larger share of the Caribbean markets, due to various food trade regulations and standards mandated by each state.
The Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and the Guyana Non- Traditional Exporters Association (GNTEA) would be following up on the issues discussed.
