THE support that has been provided by the Venezuelan government in important sectors of Guyana’s economy, and the need for the two sides to consider approaches to optimise the benefit of these engagements will be high on the agenda of the bilateral meeting between Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and President Donald Ramotar today at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

This is according to Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, who made the announcement on Thursday last during his weekly post-Cabinet media briefing at Office of the President on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown.
“There is so much to share and there is so much that is on the table for the engagement between the two presidents and the representatives of the government of the two republics,” Dr Luncheon said.
He noted that Guyana is one of the beneficiaries of the PetroCaribe initiative, a deal which allows the country to purchase oil by paying only a percentage of the money upfront, and the remaining amount over time under a special financing agreement.
He further pointed out that Guyanese farmers have benefitted tremendously from the Guyana-Venezuela rice deal. Venezuela is the largest importer of Guyana’s rice and has been importing white rice and paddy at preferential prices from Guyana since the beginning of an arrangement in 2009.
According to Dr. Luncheon, trade with Venezuela has practically reoriented the very nature of rice production and exports by Guyanese farmers and exporters.
“The thrust of a large consuming population for agricultural products that we can provide with the right type of trading arrangements and stimulus…These are the matters that would be high on the agenda of our engagements bilaterally in addressing matters to our mutual satisfaction,” he stated.
Luncheon related that the two countries have already started along this road, but posited that state visits offer the opportunity for the two parties to meet and deliberate on optimising the benefits and addressing shortfalls and challenges.
The Cabinet Secretary noted that the Venezuelan delegation is a significantly large one consisting of ministers and technocrats from the Venezuelan government and state.
“On our side we have organised encounters that would justify this state visit and its use in furthering our mutual (interests) and our ambitions in taking the level of the relationship between Guyana and Venezuela to new heights,” he added.
Luncheon stated that President Maduro’s visit to Guyana can be seen as an opportunity to cement the undertakings that his predecessor, the late President Hugo Chavez made.
Maduro is the successor to the late Bolivarian Republic’s Leader Hugo Chavez, and was installed as Venezuela’s new President after the April 14 polls, following the death of Chavez in March  this year.
Today’s visit will be his first since becoming President of Venezuela, to a country that has maintained a longstanding, fruitful and mutually beneficial relationship for a number of years.