…Guyana, TT in move to break down barriers to trade in agro products

GUYANA and Trinidad and Tobago are working to break down the existing barriers to the export of agricultural products from Guyana to the twin island following concerns raised by local exporters.

A release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Guyana, on Monday, stated that bilateral talks on market access issues were recently held between technical experts from the two countries.

The meeting, held at the Headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries of Trinidad and Tobago, saw the discussion of challenges in exporting fresh agricultural products; the trans-shipment of honey; the ban on the export of poultry meat from Guyana; trade in equine and the revision of the Trinidad and Tobago/Guyana Fresh Agricultural Produce and Forest Products Trade Protocol (2009).

Regarding honey, the non-conformity of Trinidad and Tobago’s legislation governing the importation of honey has been a long-standing issue raised even at the 36th meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) in 2013. The twin island republic had initially restricted the importation of honey from Grenada and other Caribbean countries due to concerns about being affected by the American Foul Brood (AFB) disease.

Trinidad and Tobago’s honey, bees and bee products are guided by the island’s age-old Food and Drug Act of 1960 and Beekeeping and Bee products Act of 1935.

Both of these, however, are not in keeping with the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC) as highlighted by COTED and has led to the total prohibition of honey from other countries to the island. In 2012, a portion of Grenada’s honey was confiscated, while a U.S.$3,000 fine was imposed on Guyanese company Laparkan in 2015 for coming within one mile of the island’s shores.

COTED has since stipulated that Trinidad and Tobago’s legislation be amended to provide for the trade in honey from its fellow member states, but by that body’s 42nd meeting, these conditions had not changed.

Meanwhile, in May 2019, Trinidad and Tobago issued an advisory banning the importation of poultry, raw and cooked, from entering into the island from Guyana. Trinidad’s Minister of Agriculture, Clarence Rambharat had explained that the ban was instituted as Guyana had advised of the existence of Duck virus hepatitis in a part of the country.

The Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) had cause then to express its disappointment with the step taken by the island even as it assured the public that unconfirmed presence of the Duck Hepatitis Virus was contained and restricted to six duck farms on the coast of Guyana.

“Following the meeting, both countries have agreed to find resolutions to the issues discussed,” the release stated. The Guyanese delegation was led by High Commissioner of Guyana to Trinidad and Tobago, Bishwaishwar Ramsaroop-Maraj and included senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, the New Guyana Marketing Corporation, Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI).

Meanwhile, the Trinidad and Tobago delegation was led by Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, Senator Avinash Singh and was supported by senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries; the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs. The Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA) also participated in this Meeting as a third party, in its capacity as the regional Agency mandated to deal with Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary (SPS) matters.