Gobiernos de Guyana y Trinidad y Tobago se reúnen para analizar el comercio bilateral
Guyanese team to visit Trinidad to discuss bilateral trade
A team from Guyana’s ministry of agriculture is set to visit the twin island of Trinidad and Tobago next week to meet with their counterparts to address the issue of non-tariff barrier between the two countries.
Minister of Agriculture Dr Leslie Ramsammy during a recent interview explained that the meeting forms part of the recent agreements sealed between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. The latter, agreed to host the technical teams from both countries towards addressing the uneven relationship in terms of trade between the two countries.
“Guyana has expressed our discomfort with the fact that whilst we allow products from Trinidad and Barbados and other countries to freely enter into Guyana, that we believe that there are unfair barriers that exist in other countries,” he said.
Earlier this year, the two countries signed the agreement that will also see investors in the twin island engaging in large scale farming in Guyana, and both countries engaging in more economic activities.
The minister also disclosed that the ministry is pursuing another collaborative venture, aimed at developing the local coconut industry, but this time it is partnering with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), which has brought on board the Mexican government.
Ramsammy explained that focus will be on improving the agronomist, agro-processing and marketing aspects of the industry.
IICA will provide the funding for a focal point team to begin a two-month visit in January 2014, to Mexico for training in various aspects of the coconut industry. That country has a very successful industry, with high yields.
“The Mexican coconut industry is not unlike the Indian coconut or the coconut industry in Asia where every part of the coconut is used to produce valued-added and Guyana is trying to ensure that our coconut industry produces the best high yielding coconut, and also every part of the coconut is utilised in valued added product,” Ramsammy said.
