Latest update January 18th, 2025 7:00 AM
Guyana,Venezuela finalise rice deal
…sealed pact on fighting drug trafficking
Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Elias Jaua Milan and the country’s Food Minister Carlos Felix Osorio visited Guyana yesterday and signed off on agreements guaranteeing the export of rice and fighting drug trafficking.
Osorio and Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, signed a letter of commitment, saying Venezuela will take 140, 000 tons of seed paddy this year and a further 70,000 tonnes of white rice.
Venezuela’s Food Minister Felix Osoria exchanges the rice export agreement with Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy.
The signing ceremony took place at the Guyana International Conference Centre and was witnessed by scores of rice farmers and even some millers, who were looking for the deal to be secured.
Dr. Ramsammy will travel to Caracas on May 15 to add the finishing touches to the agreement, which he says ultimately leads to food security for both countries.
The agreement to export rice was a deal secured by late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and the new government has pledged to continue the programmes of cooperation Chavez initiated with Guyana.
The delay in inking the deal weeks ago resulted in trucks filled with tons of paddy waiting in long lines to dry at mills, millers running out of money to purchase additional paddy and the slow outflow of rice and paddy from mills.
Recently, the Guyana Rice Producers Association asked Dr. Ramsammy to provide access to the $500M that was allocated in the 2013 Budget to help farmers.
This money would be paid to the millers who will pay identified farmers. The money earned from the export would be reimbursed to the Ministry.
Commercial banks were also approached to reschedule loans and even write off interest on loans.
Guyana was expected to sign the contract for the delivery of rice and paddy with Venezuela weeks ago.
With the passing of President Hugo Chavez, the signing of the contract stalled until after the election of a new President for Venezuela. Chavez’s handpicked successor Nicolas Maduro was elected as Venezuela’s new President.
Venezuela is offering US$520 per ton paddy and US$800 per ton rice of high quality products. Not to sacrifice this high price in the agreement, Guyana was not enticed at the beginning of the harvesting season to export its products to Europe for US$605 per ton rice and US$512 per ton paddy. The European market is still willing to take Guyana’s rice and paddy but has reduced its prices.
Meanwhile, yesterday the Venezuelan Foreign Minister and Guyana’s Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett also signed off on an agreement for the sharing of information between law enforcement agencies of both countries in the fight against drug trafficking.
In addition, through the agreement, the Venezuelan Government has pledged to rehabilitate drug addicts.
The Venezuelan Ministers were due to open a shelter for the homeless up in Berbice yesterday but that event has been postponed to a later date.
Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Elias Jaua Milan examines a gift from Guyana handed over by Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett.
The facility was built through the Social Fund of the PetroCaribe agreement through which countries in Latin America and the Caribbean import fuel from Venezuela on a preferential system.
The visit of the Venezuelan Foreign Minister came a day before he was due to convene the annual two-day summit of the PetroCaribe agreement.
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