MEXICO’S Ambassador to Guyana, Ivan Sierra, made his first visit to the Ancient County of Berbice on December 8 and met with farmers and other stakeholders in the hope of accessing potential market opportunities for the Guyanese people.The ambassador said the meeting was very productive and based on what he has heard, the Ancient County has to offer, there are a lot of prospective market opportunities.
“It was a nice dialogue with stakeholders that are interested in several areas, not only agriculture, but also broader economic exchanges with a focus on agriculture. This meeting has been very productive because it has provided me with the opportunity to share the information about what can be done with Mexico, how we can make better use of the potential that we have,” the ambassador said.
Ambassador Sierra said he knows for sure there is a market for rice in Mexico, since 90% of the one million tonnes of rice consumed by annually by Mexicans is imported.
“Currently, I see lots of interest in rice and that is good, because it matches the supply what is available in Guyana with the demand what the Mexican market is taking right now… roughly 90% of rice has to be purchased and we are in pursuit of rice, but our importers have told us that they want to diversify, they have tried many countries and of course they are interested in the high-quality Guyanese rice.”
Besides rice, there is also demand for coconut and tilapia in Mexico.
“As you know, the entire world is currently interested is coconut and we are very excited that Guyana has decided to host the Coconut Festival, because we have a huge interest in coconut as well.”
Ambassador Sierra also touched on the fact that his government has awarded a full scholarship to a Guyanese female student in August,and who will be completing her masters with a special interest in coconut biology. The knowledge that the student will be returning with, according to the ambassador, will not only be useful for pest and disease control, but in the area of research in high-yield varieties suitable for Guyana’s climatic conditions, so farmers can get better returns from their crops.