In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, he said he was advised of the new development but his contact in the United States (U.S.) provided no further details.

Samples of the grains were also tested here, in Spain and Colombia and the Colombian authorities have since paid him for the 1,064 tonnes now in their warehouse, Yussuf disclosed.

The exporter, who purchased from Saj Rice Group Inc., also said officials of Colombian Farming Institute (CFI) have indicated there is no problem with the consignment and its cargo will be used.

CFI had reported that the cargo was contaminated with tilletia, a fungus that targets cereals and is common in temperate climates but non-existent in warm conditions like in Guyana.

Meanwhile, Yussuf said the m.v.‘Smarty’ which carried the paddy has already left port Barranquilla in Colombia for Guyana and his company is looking forward for the issuance of new export licences from the Colombian Government.

A Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) letter had attested that routine tests conducted on the commodity before it was exported showed no symptoms of the disease.

The correspondence emphasised that Guyana has previously exported large quantities of paddy to Ecuador, Jamaica, Trinidad and Brazil and never encountered any problem.

A Reuters report had said 5,493 tonnes of rice from the U.S. that arrived in the Spanish speaking South American nation before the Guyanese product was also detected to be affected by the fungus.

Yussuf said that American consignment is still with the consignee and, from all indications, it will be used by the Colombia Government.

A GRDB official informed this newspaper that the U.S. and Colombia have a free trade agreement under which 75,000 tonnes were shipped from the former and the Colombian rice producers are up in arms against that trading.

The official said the recent action appeared to be a protest against U.S. and Colombia transaction and Guyana happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Saj Rice General Manager, Mr. Carlos Carbo, explained that the producers in Colombia are against the move as they fear their farmers will lose out because the American rice is entering Colombia duty free.

The fungus infection allegation is just an excuse to push back their Government decision to import the 75,000 tonnes of U.S. rice, he said.

Carbo noted that the price for the staple has been rising in Colombia mainly because three big millers have a monopoly in the industry there.

He revealed that Colombia’s rice production is ten times greater than what Guyana exports and one month rice consumption in the other country, which has a population of 42 million, is almost equivalent to the total Guyana send abroad annually.

Carbo said the challenged paddy shipment was Guyana’s first such to Colombia, having, in 2008 and early this year exported white rice to that country.

He said Guyana has a licence to export 75,000 tonnes to the fourth largest South American nation duty free and expressed confidence that the local industry can supply that at a competitive price.