Georgetown: Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Guyana Bryan Hunte said the rice sector in the United States (US) is most “certainly opened to Guyanese rice exporters , and that the Embassy would be willing to facilitate in the process, should anyone become interested.
Guyanese rice farmers and millers alike have already begun expressing grave concerns over the future of the rice sector here, as bouts of uncertainty continue to hang over the largest market for rice and paddy – Venezuela. The oil rich nation, had accounted for around 60 per cent of total exports in 2010.
The concerns escalated last week when Finance Minister Winston Jordan, upon his return from Venezuela after holding talks with officials there, told Guyana Times that the country would not be renewing the rice deal contract it has with Guyana, which is embedded in the PetroCaribe deal. This year’s contract comes to an end in November.
Millers had begun urging Government to see how best it could address the situation, as thousands of farmers were bound to lose out if things did not work out in their favour. Government however, on Monday reported that there was no problem with the deal, and that it would be continuing as scheduled.
Critics have said that Venezuela’s move to discontinue the deal after the November deadline is nothing more than a political move by the South American nation, which has been claiming ownership of Guyana’s territorial boundary. Venezuela continues to lay claim to part of the Stabroek block; an area where it was recently discovered has oil. The US-based exploration company ExxonMobil, which has been drilling since March of this year, made the discovery.
Guyana’s stance on the issue, which was settled some 116 years ago through an arbitral award, was taken to a forum which saw the attendance of Caribbean Heads of Government earlier this month. The Regional heads committed their support to Guyana.
While uncertainty looms for the rice sector here, the US Chargé d’Affaires said the rice industry in his home country is available to rice exporters here.
“The Embassy is more than willing to assist them in making business contact with the United States and to understand our sanitary and phytosanitary regulations for such exports”, he told journalists at a recent function.
He said for the United States, the purchase of rice is a Private Sector matter, “so it will be Private Sector US importers who would conclude deals with Guyanese exporters in order to send rice to the United States, but we are more than happy to facilitate contact for anyone who may be interested in that”, he assured.
Earlier this year, when the Venezuela/Guyana controversy again started to brew, Hunt had said that the US was standing ready to support the Government of Guyana on the position it has taken against the Venezuelan Government, over its move to stop the US oil company from carrying out its exploratory work. He had said too that the US has taken a negative stance of any attempt by any Government that would seek to disrupt the work of the oil company.
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