Agri Minister rejects vegetable shipments from Brazil

Apr 30, 2009 News

…turns back importing businesswoman

This bus bringing goods from Brazil was stopped and had its contents examined for compliance with the phytosanitary certificate.

A Guyanese businesswoman, who was transporting vegetables and ground provision from neighbouring Brazil to Lethem, was ordered to return with her produce to Bom Fin on Tuesday since she did not have a phytosanitary certificate for the commodities.
Kaieteur News was told that Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, who was in Lethem at the time, noticed the vehicle with the vegetables and brought it to the attention of the Customs officers.
They then requested that the woman, Bibi Samaroo, called ‘Zoe’, present her phytosanitary documentation.
Samaroo was unable to produce any documentation and as such was sent back to Brazil.
She complied, but not before verbally abusing Customs officials at Lethem.
Minister Persaud later said that he ordered that the woman be sent back because of fear of contamination of Guyana’s plant health system.
He added that he is disappointed that the Brazilian authorities allowed the truck to cross over to Guyana without the necessary documentation.
Minister Persaud added that from all indications it seems as if the Customs officers at Lethem were allowing breaches.
“With the impending opening of the Bridge, the Ministry of Agriculture intends to step up monitoring of movement of agricultural produce and livestock from Bom Fin to Lethem.
Animals cannot enter Lethem due to the need to protect our Foot and Mouth Disease status,” he told this newspaper.