Flour from Guyana is not thought to be inferior, Antigua and Barbuda Finance Minister Dr Errol Cort said as he sought to stem criticisms about the locally produced flour.
According to an article in yesterday’s Antigua Sun, questions on the quality of flour from Guyana have been raised consequent to that country’s government announcement of finding another cheaper source of flour here. The article stated that in a press briefing yesterday, Cort said that from his talks with various bakers, the flour was not thought to be inferior. “Apparently the mixture of flour is what determines the body of the flour and it seems as though the flour that comes from St Vincent has a different mixture to that coming from Guyana,” the article quoted him as saying.
He further declared that at the end of the day both flours can equally be used in bread production, and he encouraged bakers to ‘avail’ themselves of the flour from Guyana. However, he said, if they wished to use the flour from St Vincent, they had the right to do so as well.
The newspaper reported that the minister said whichever flour was bought, it was still a controlled product in Antigua and Barbuda and therefore the importers would be duty-bound to place a pre-established profit margin on it and sell it to their consumers, in this case the bakers.
This means that there is supposed to be a substantial difference in the price of goods made from both flours, if the savings are passed on to the public, the article said.
The newspaper had reported that bakers in that country were reluctant to purchase and use flour coming out of Guyana’s National Milling Company and preferred instead the more expensive product offered from St Vincent. The Antigua government has reached an agreement with the National Milling Company of Guyana (Namilco) to supply flour to Antigua and Barbuda at approximately the same rate that country has proposed to its traditional suppliers. Namilco’s Managing Director had told this newspaper that he would be speaking on the issue at a later date.
