GEORGETOWN: Headed by General Manager Nizam Hassan, members of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) are currently in talks with private and public sector rice investors from Mexico.Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle yesterday, Hassan said “initial talks” began last Friday and are expected to continue shortly. “We had two conference calls facilitated by the Mexican Ambassador, Ivan Robero Sierra Medel,” the GRDB head said.
The first meeting was held with the Mexican Rice Council, a private sector body that brings together rice producers, importers and millers. The second meeting was with DICONASA, touted as Mexico’s largest network of “social supply.” The aim of that entity is to distribute food with high nutritional content to marginalised sections of the population at affordable prices.
“We just had initial courtesy meetings, discussions…we have not gone into full discussion,” Hassan said. He assured, however, that upon completion of discussions, the Guyanese public would be informed.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) reported last week that Mexican Agriculture Minister Jose Calzada has given assurance that arrangements to buy Guyana’s paddy would be fast tracked. According to the GINA report, the Mexican Agriculture Minister has committed to encouraging the private sector to enter into contracts with local millers.
This commitment was made during Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo’s visit to Mexico City to attend the Open Governance Summit there.
The APNU+AFC administration has said that assisting farmers with alternatives on the international market is a priority, given the increase in rice production thus far for the year, and in view of the loss of the Venezuelan market. Guyana’s rice production in the first half of 2015 was 359,960 tonnes, 15.3 percent more than last year’s record-high, first-half production of 312,283 tonnes.
Venezuela has since entered into new rice-purchasing agreements with other countries, including Suriname. That government has said it would not be renewing the rice-for-oil agreement it had with Guyana after the end of November.
Under the PetroCaribe arrangement, Guyana has benefited from oil and Venezuela has benefited from rice, but since the fallout between Guyana and Venezuela, the Guyana Government has been exploring other markets for its rice. The Mexico market is one of many being explored by the administration.
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