By Khadidja Ba
A block on catfish exports from Guyana to the US remains in place and Washington’s Trade Representative Katherine Tai has emphasised the importance of food safety standards.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Stabroek at the US Embassy, the US Trade Representative addressed several issues affecting trade relations between the United States and Guyana.
One significant concern has been the inability of Guyanese farmers to export catfish to the United States since 2017, a situation attributed to new regulations. When questioned by this newspaper about whether this was not a case of a non-tariff barrier that discriminates against small countries like Guyana, Ambassador Tai addressed the nature of the regulations.
“I appreciate the opportunity to explain this matter…The process we’re going through regarding the imports of catfish from Guyana is part of a food safety exercise. It should not be viewed as a non-tariff barrier aimed at excluding Guyanese catfish because of the country’s size. Instead, it reflects our legitimate regulatory responsibility to ensure that all imports meet our food safety standards”, she said.
Tai elaborated on the importance of sanitary and phytosanitary policies, which are designed to ensure that food products are safe for consumption.
“This is a critical aspect of trade policy, governed by evidence and science. I understand that the review process can be frustrating, especially for producers who are very good at producing their product. However, it’s vital for governments to guarantee that the food supplied to our citizens is safe. Establishing trust and confidence in the regulatory systems of different countries is crucial for maintaining food safety,” she explained.
Efforts to lift the US export ban on Guyanese catfish, which has been in place since September 2017 have been ongoing and it is unclear why the Department of Fisheries and the Ministry of Agriculture have yet been unable to settle the issue. The ban has significantly impacted the local catfish industry, particularly the export of ‘gilbaka’.
In response to the ban, which was instituted due to non-compliance with US food safety standards, local stakeholders had been exploring alternative measures to re-enter the export market. One approach involves investing in farm-raised Siluriformes—an alternative to wild-caught catfish. This method promised to address health and safety concerns associated with wild-caught fish by ensuring that fish are raised in controlled environments before harvesting and processing.
The issue of the ban was discussed during a visit by former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2020. Pompeo expressed a commitment to revisiting the export restrictions and working through the U.S. regulatory and World Trade Organization review processes to seek a favorable outcome.
Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha, who took office in 2020, has been vocal about the need to resume catfish exports. He had emphasized the differences between Guyanese and US catfish harvesting methods and had been working on preparing the necessary documentation for US authorities. “Our methods differ from those in the US because we capture catfish from the wild rather than rearing them. We hope that this revision will lead to the lifting of the ban,” Mustapha had said.
