Agri Ministry clarifies... Guyana has potential 30,000-tonne rice market in Mexico

Agri Ministry clarifies… Guyana has potential 30,000-tonne rice market in Mexico

Mar 23, 2017 News

Guyana could see a 30,000-tonne rice market open in Mexico, and not 150,000 tonnes as previously reported by authorities.

The Mexican Government recently cleared the way for countries to bid for quotas to import rice and rice products into the country.
Guyana will now be able to send paddy to the Spanish-speaking nation, as the National Service of Health, Safety and Agro-Food Quality (SENASICA) recently approved imports of paddy from Guyana.
SENASICA is currently processing Guyana’s sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) certificate to import rice, the ministry explained.
The clarification would come after questions surfaced over a report from Government that Guyana had benefitted from a 150,000-tonne deal with Mexico. However, this has now turned out to be incorrect.
Yesterday, the ministry made it clear that Guyana is among the countries set to make a bid for imports into this market. Negotiations have been ongoing between the Ministers of Agriculture for both countries to ensure Guyana satisfies the necessary criteria to be a part of the bidding process.
“Additionally, applications can only be made in quotas of 10,000 metric tonnes and each country is only allowed to apply for three (3) quotas. Guyana is currently negotiating prices with companies in Mexico who expressed an interest in purchasing paddy during the recently concluded exposition.”
Representatives from the Guyana Rice Development Board, the Guyana Rice Exporters and Millers Association along with other private millers, recently attended the Expo Antad in Guadalajara, Mexico.
“It was during this visit that Mexican Ambassador to Guyana and Plenipotentiary Representative to CARICOM, His Excellency, Mr. Ivan Sierra, made provisions for the team to have a liaison who related the information that was later published in the Mexican official Gazette.”
The Gazette, the ministry said, stated that during January to December 2017, the Government of Mexico granted approval for 150,000 metric tonnes of paddy and rice products to enter Mexico from outside of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), free of the payment of taxes (zero taxes). Normally taxes by countries other than NAFTA member states trading with Mexico are required to pay a tax of 9% on paddy and 20% on rice products.
Guyana badly wants new rice markets after increased yields and expansion of farmlands have led to back-to-back bumper productions, eclipsing annual records.
Guyana lost a major market with Venezuela in 2015 after that neighbouring country became unhappy over an oil find here. Venezuela is insisting that the related waters belong to them. That territorial claim by Venezuela has ended up at the United Nations and could find its way to the International Court.