Following weeks of anxiety in the local rice industry, Guyana and Venezuela yesterday extended an export agreement for another year that will see 210,000 tonnes of rice being shipped to the Spanish-speaking country in a deal worth US$130 million.
“Farmers have been looking forward to this trip for a long time…this rice agreement is a concrete way of cementing the cooperation and friendship between our countries. We look forward to more extensive collaboration in agriculture (in the future),” said Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy following the inking of the letter of commitment to trade Venezuelan oil for Guyanese rice at the International Con-ference Centre at Liliendaal yesterday. Venezuela’s Minis-ter of Food, Felix Osorio signed on behalf of Caracas.
The deal was extended for another year though Guyana has expressed its desire for a multi-year year agreement. Local farmers have benefitted from higher prices under the deal and uncertainty about whether there was going to be one this year sparked protests by farmers, who were being paid low prices by millers recently.
