THE Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) has expressed significant concern regarding recent media reports from Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), one of Guyana’s largest conglomerates.
According to DDL’s Executive Chairman, two containers of packaged milk products were denied entry and returned to Guyana, while bottled water products have been restricted from sale due to an unusually exhaustive examination process.

GOGEC noted that it stands firmly with DDL, denouncing this situation as a clear violation of the spirit of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, a free trade agreement to which both Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) are signatories.
The Chamber highlighted that Guyanese exporters have faced such unfair treatment from Trinidad and Tobago for decades. Despite commitments to resolve these issues, they remain unresolved, with trade barriers seemingly being used as tools of trade protectionism.

Trinidad and Tobago is Guyana’s second-largest trading partner for imported commodities, accounting for over 20 per cent of Guyana’s total imports in 2023, amounting to US$1.4 billion. In contrast, Guyanese exports to Trinidad and Tobago are under US$200 million, leading to a trade deficit of approximately US$1.2 billion.

Moreover, exports from Trinidad and Tobago to Guyana represent 11 per cent of Trinidad’s total exports in 2023 and 53 per cent of its total non-energy exports. If Guyana were to reciprocate by suspending imports from Trinidad, Trinidad could lose more than 50 per cent of its non-energy export earnings.

Additionally, hundreds of Trinidadian nationals and firms operate freely in Guyana, benefitting significantly without facing similar barriers.
In light of these dynamics, GOGEC calls on Trinidadian authorities to address this unacceptable breach of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and ensure fair treatment for Guyanese exports