AGRICULTURE Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has instructed that a National Oversight Committee be established for the expansion of local aquaculture, with the aim of making this country a major exporter of the products to the Caribbean Region. He made the announcement yesterday when he met with operators in the sector from across the country at the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) at Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss issues affecting them and to come up with ways to take the industry forward and achieve its objectives.
Ramsammy said, he, himself, will chair the committee and it should comprise representatives from the different regions involved in both fresh water and brackish fish farming.
Among the matters raised yesterday were the availability and high prices of feed, all of which Ramsammy said would be examined by the oversight group.
He emphasised that the Government of Guyana remains committed to supporting the development of aquaculture and has been working to develop guidelines, identify areas of research and provide training to meet the necessary standards in an effort to improve the industry.
He said for it to succeed, Guyana will have to create  an indigenous capacity for fish food production, noting that, as long as the country continues to rely on importing, it would never be able to produce fish at a cost that would be competitive on the international market.

MORE SIGNIFICANT
The Minister emphasised that Guyana does have the potential for a successful fishing industry and to become more significant in the progression of the country, contributing more to the overall development and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He said that, while development of the industry has not been as rapid as preferred, there are, presently, approximately 250 acres of fresh water aquaculture that is operational and about 2,500 acres of brackish farming.
Ramsammy remarked that some of these farms are being managed in a manner that is productive, but others are not operated as effectively.
Nevertheless, he pointed out that yesterday’s forum was convened due to the recognition of the potential that currently exists for the trade of aquaculture products around the world.
He related that the United States (U.S.) imports some $1billion in aquaculture products and Trinidad buys nearly US$50M in fish products, with virtually all of its imported tilapia coming from China.
In addition, Ramsammy said the Caribbean buys in excess of 220 million tonnes of fish products, valued almost US$300M, from outside the Region on an annual basis.
“This constitutes a rich market for us in Guyana but we will have to work together to ensure that we can take advantage of the markets that exist in the Caribbean…the Heads of State talked about reducing our food imports… this is an opportunity for us,” he acknowledged.
Ramsammy admitted that a major barrier to the exporting of fish products is that Guyana does not meet the sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS) that are necessary for entry of its food products into some countries.
For that reason, he will be sending a technical team to Trinidad to examine the SPS requirements of that country, he said.
In addition, he said the national policy on inland fishing and aquaculture is about to be approved and the fisheries products, marine fishing and aquaculture regulations are in their final stages of drafting.

NON-TARIFF BARRIERS
Ramsammy said, unless the products are developed within this regulatory framework, there will be no export markets, as the new food regulations in the U.S., Canada and Europe will see further non-tariff barriers to trade.
“We can complain that they are unfair or we can do the only thing we can, which is to meet those standards because I can guarantee you that we can complain…but it will not change the regulations in North America and Europe,” he maintained.
The minister explained that yesterday’s session was not just about voicing complaints, but rather about making recommendations in order to develop a high-quality, high-yielding  aquaculture industry in Guyana and be able to enter the Caribbean, North American and European markets.
He agreed that the task will not be easy but said he is working with  Ministers of Agriculture throughout the Region so that some of the non-tariff barriers are removed.
“Not removed in the sense as what is required but some of the unreasonable positions of some of these countries are eased…but at the same time that we meet the standard required. We cannot oppose standards being established as long as they’re standardised. We can oppose unreasonable barriers but not reasonable standards that are intended to ensure the entry of safe, high-quality food into any country,” he concurred.