– says it augurs well for increased trade between the two countries
THE Guyana Rice Producers’ Association (GRPA) General Secretary, Mr. Dharamkumar Seeraj, has said that Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez is to be highly commended for his positive response to Guyana’s request for an increase in price for the second shipment of rice and paddy from Guyana to that neighbouring country.
Prices of the first shipment was agreed on at US$335 and US$560 per metric tonne for paddy, both costs and freight, and white rice five percent broken, respectively, were increased to US$420 and US$700 per metric tonne, respectively for paddy and white rice.
President Bharrat Jagdeo, who loses no opportunity to promote the welfare of Guyana and Guyanese at every forum, during a meeting at the United Nations in the USA, initiated discussions with the Venezuelan Head-of-State on the prospect of intensified trading arrangements between the two neighbouring countries, to which Chavez was favourably inclined.
Subsequently General-Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Mr. Jagnarine Singh, and Mr. Seeraj visited Venezuela for preliminary discussions, which was followed by a return visit by a delegation from Venezuela.
On Wednesday October 21st 2009, in the presence of Guyana’s Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, Venezuela’s Ambassador to Guyana, Mr. Dario Morandy, RPA’s GS Seeraj, and other officials from both countries, a US$18.8M ($G3.7 billion) deal for Venezuela to import some 50,000 tonnes of cargo rice from Guyana was signed by GRDB’s Jagnarine Singh and Venezuela’s Colonel Rodolfo Marco at a press briefing in the Ministry of Agriculture.
GRDB was delegated responsibility for facilitating the arrangements for the shipments of the product to that country.  The Minister had said then that the export price for paddy will be US$330 per metric tonne – both costs and freight, and white rice five percent broken at US$560.  During the signing ceremony the Minister said “These two prices represent a very substantial percentage above what we see taking place in the market from export, if we look at the trend.”
The first shipment of 5000 tonnes of paddy departed to Venezuela in December of last year.
However, for the second shipment, dispatched on Thursday May 21, 2010, which brought into Guyana US1.9 million, of foreign currency, President Chavez had conceded to Guyana’s request for an increase in price.
At the historic signing ceremony of the agreement Minister Persaud had lauded the Venezuelan Government, saying “I must say that we are very appreciative of President Chavez’s Government of Venezuela for entering into this agreement.”
The RPA General Secretary has endorsed these sentiments extolling the Venezuelan Head-of-State for entering into these trading arrangements with Guyana, and has expressed his organisation’s appreciation for the price increases, which will tremendously encourage the farmers of Guyana to produce more.