Dear Editor,
As an advocate for solidarity, I would like to call on the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro not to continue the embargo on rice farmers in Guyana as both countries are supporting a mutual friend in the form of Cuba to end the US embargo that has promoted underdevelopment to the citizens and Cuba as a whole. As neighbouring states with an interest to develop South American and Latin American countries there is need to understand that there is no honour in spiting Guyanese farmers who depended on Venezuela heavily to purchase their rice.
Guyana’s annual rice barter agreement with Venezuela started since in 2009 under the exchange of the PetroCaribe fund.
Playing the blame game will have no positive results and meaningful input to assist the thousands of rice farmers who are heading for bankruptcy and are unable to place a plate of food on their tables to feed their families.
I would like to say that the 2015 Rice Agreement was signed in March of this year and while the agreement is done on an annual basis it is the rice and paddy shipments that bring the agreement to its conclusion.
Once the annual agreement is signed Guyana has the full year to ship the quantities of rice and paddy that were agreed upon. These shipments are not even making it off the ships now that Venezuela has decided to place an embargo on farmers. Both countries are fighting to end the embargo in Cuba so how can Venezuela now enact this sort of treatment to a friendly neighbouring state? Political grandstanding should not cause the suffering of business or the stifling of trade.
The 2015 first crop was over 360,000 tonnes with over 220,000 tonnes exported as of June, however 148,000 tonnes of rice was carried over from 2014. Meanwhile, as Venezuela promised recently to assist Grenada in developing potential that may exist in the oil and gas sector, it is necessary for Venezuela to note that it has also been a big brother to Guyana and issues can be sorted out diplomatically and in a bilateral method. Rather than creating an embargo that does no good for countries within the hemisphere. I have also noticed that President Maduro is advocating the establishment of an economic zone for the Caribbean and Latin America. He says the economic zone should be part of a production and economic plan aimed at curbing the region’s high import bill. During a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell in Grenada over the weekend, the Venezuelan leader also suggested the establishment of a commerce and purchase agreement with Caribbean countries. President Maduro suggested that the Caribbean and Latin America work out transportation arrangements to facilitate the movement of goods and services. It is my hope that the Venezuelan President uses his good office to assist his small brother and neighbour while not forgetting Guyana is part and parcel of all plans within the hemisphere.
Yours faithfully,
Haleem Khan
President
Guyana Cuba Solidarity Movement