A significant and seemingly sustained increase in demand for dried coconuts was the major feature of exports of Guyana’s non-traditional commodities during 2013, according to information provided to this newspaper by the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC).
Exports of 10,213 tonnes of dried coconuts last year pushed the country’s overall exports of non-traditional agricultural commodities up to 12,701 metric tonnes, a 14% increase from 2012. While the supply of dried coconuts has been steady despite the upsurge in export demand, some price rises have been recorded at the level of the local retail market. According to the GMC’s exports summary, regional exports accounted for 2,246 metric tonnes of produce while extra-regional exports accounted for 10,454.55 metric tonnes. At the level of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) the major importing countries were Trinidad and Tobago, importing 1,173 metric tonnes, Dominica, importing 501 metric tonnes, Barbados, importing 404 metric tonnes and Suriname, importing 116 metric tonnes. Extra-regionally, the major importers were the Dominican Republic, 8,666 metric tonnes; Canada 857 metric tonnes; the United States 528 metric tonnes and France 390 metric tonnes. .
Dried coconuts apart, the country’s major fresh commodities exported in 2013 were pumpkin, 146 metric tonnes; mango 163 metric tonnes; watermelon, 116 metric tonnes and eddo 89 metric tonnes. The major processed commodities exported by Guyana last year were copra 755 metric tonnes; heart of palm 386 metric tonnes; coconut crude oil 289 metric tonnes; coconut water 94 metric tonnes and copra meal 61 metric tonnes.
