Latest update November 29th, 2024 1:00 AM
Guyana spreads rice market to 38 countries
– Mexico poised to replace Venezuela as country’s biggest buyer
Mexico is expected to become a major player in the local rice industry.
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo addressing Essequibo rice farmers at a meeting at the Anna Regina Multilateral School, Region Two on Saturday.
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo on Saturday explained that Mexico could be going this route within the next five weeks.
Updating residents of Region Two, a major rice producing area, the Prime Minister, who initiated the talks with Mexico on buying Guyana’s rice, explained that he recently received a letter from the President of Mexico reminding him of the conversation, and authorising the Mexican Ambassador to hold conversations with Guyana.
“He told us in five weeks’ time that Mexico would conclude evaluating all the information we gave…about the quality of our rice, and they would decide,” the Prime Minister said. “…and it seems to me that Mexico will be a very great player in purchasing rice, maybe not at the price that Venezuela gave us, but at a price that would keep our farmers going,” he added.
Despite the embargo placed by Venezuela on Guyana’s rice, the Prime Minister noted that today, the country is selling rice to 38 countries.
“So Mr. (Nicolás) Maduro (Venezuela President), you have not shut the world, you have only shut yourself away from the goodwill of the Guyanese people and farmers,” the PM declared emphatically.
Nagamootoo was referring to the decision by Maduro earlier to discontinue a five-year-old oil-for-rice deal in retaliation for Guyana finding oil offshore. Instead, the country struck a deal with Suriname for supplies, leaving Guyana scrambling to find an alternative market.
Venezuela is claiming two-thirds of Essequibo and even the waters where the oil was found by US-owned ExxonMobil.
The situation saw Venezuela recalling its Ambassador and Guyana asking the United Nations to find a solution that will once and for all settle the border controversy.
Guyana’s rice exports have been going to 38 countries, Government has disclosed.
“We are facing some tough situations, but we are dealing with them,” the PM assured the residents, even as he pointed out that the problem in the industry started with a conspiracy against the farmers.
“There were people whom we had trusted and felt were our leaders, who knew Venezuela was going to cancel the rice deal, but did not share the information with anyone, not even with you before the elections. What they went around and told people was, that Venezuela would not buy our rice if the coalition was voted in, so they knew about it and they were using it as a threat,” the PM pointed out.
The Prime Minister, however, assured that despite naysayers’ pronouncements, “rice is here to stay. Those who are peddling the notion that farmers are running from the rice crops, you must know that grains are in need all over the world,” he said.
Nagamootoo reiterated government’s commitment to further seek out more markets for Guyana’s rice.Venezuela’s market had accounted for an estimated 30 percent of the rice exports from this country.
Rice has climbed the foreign currency earnings to the top within the last couple years, ahead of gold and sugar.
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