Namilco will be protesting today against the “dumping of flour” by a Trinidad company, to coincide with the COTED Ministerial Conference.
In a press release yesterday, the National Milling Company (Namilco) said the exercise will be held from 7.30 am to 1 pm near the Buddy’s International Hotel. It will also be held, at the same place and time, tomorrow. The company said the purpose of the picketing exercise is to “further highlight our concern to the relevant authorities pertaining to the “dumping of flour” by Trinidad flour mills in Guyana. Namilco said the government has a responsibility to protect its local industries and jobs against unfair competition and looks forward to its cooperation in this regard. “We would like to see the complaint process to the Member State be initiated by the Ministry of Commerce” and also for the issue to be taken up by the Ministry of Foreign Trade at the Caricom Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED).
Namilco said National Flour Mills (NFM) and Hummingbird Rice Mills (HRM), both of Trinidad, continue to dump flour into Guyana as a strategy to gain greater market share “causing injury to Namilco.” The company said a letter was dispatched to the NFM chairman and its acting chief executive officer (CEO), on the issue, and discussions were held with the HRM CEO but they continue to flout the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
Namilco said according to Article 126 (1) “