First shipment of paddy to Venezuela under 2013 deal leaves on Wednesday – loading underway

The cargo vessel UBC Montego Bay is currently being loaded with paddy at Muneshwar’s wharf, Georgetown, and will set sail on Wednesday for Venezuela.

Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, Venezuela’s Ambassador to Guyana Reina Arratia and General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) Jagnarine Singh were on hand to witness part of the exercise today.

Paddy being loaded on the cargo vessel; UBC Montego Bay for shipment to Venezuela

Minister Ramsammy said that though this will be the first shipment of paddy to Venezuela under the 2013 arrangement, already several consignments of rice have left Guyana for Venezuela, as the progress of the arrangement moves smoothly apace.

“This is the first paddy from Guyana for 2013 in fulfilling our contract to Venezuela in terms of paddy which will be over 80,000 tonnes. We have already made six shipments of rice to Venezuela, that will continue as we hope to complete approximately 55 tonnes of rice for the crop and hopefully for the year 110 (tonnes) at least, so in terms of the 2013 contract to Venezuela, things are now moving smoothly as we can expect,” the Minister said.

The first shipment of paddy under the 2013 rice agreement between the Government of Guyana and Venezuela being loaded for shipment at the Muneshwar Wharf, Georgetown

This is also the first shipment of paddy to Venezuela from the first crop with other shipments going to Europe, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean countries.

The Agriculture Minister said that the expectation is that at the end of this crop, (going into August) that approximately just over 40,000 tonnes of paddy would be shipped to Venezuela. Each of the cargo ship has the capacity to accommodate at least 5,500 to 6,000 tonnes of paddy.

Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and Venezuela Ambassador to Guyana Reina Arratia address the media on the bridge of the UBC Montego Bay

Minister Ramsammy said that the ministry is happy that Venezuela has signed off on the new contract. “We are very grateful to Venezuela for continuing this partnership with Guyana. The partnership has enabled the growth of the industry, and we are looking for a long-term partnership…this is more than a rice deal, this is a friendship between our sisters and brothers in the two countries, so we will remain in solidarity with Venezuela,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Minister also disclosed that for the first crop which has almost ended, approximately 98 percent of the rice thus far has been harvested,  amounting to about  260,000 tonnes of rice , “by far the largest in the history of Guyana.”

The Minister said that whilst there were some challenges, and talks about the first crop being a disaster, in fact it was the most successful crop in Guyana’s history.

Ambassador Arratia echoed similar sentiments as Minister Ramsammy as it relates to the rice arrangement fostering greater partnership and relations between the two countries. “It is a very important and special moment to us,…this is a demonstration of the strength of the relations between our two countries, this is not only a demonstration of the cooperation between Guyana and Venezuela, but also the integration of Latin America and the Caribbean as our Commander Hugo Chavez said and did, and that is the line of our President, Nicolas Maduro that we keep going with Guyana and along with the rest of the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to strengthen integration through all regions,” she said.

Minister of Agriculture Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and Venezuela’s Ambassador to Guyana Reina Arratia with the crew of the UBC Montego Bay

“Being here watching the paddy shipment allows us to demonstrate, to show to the world that our consumers are going to get a good rice produce in Guyana, and it is an expression of the friendship that is going to go a long way in time,” the Ambassador said.

The Ambassador said also that the occasion was a demonstration of the support, not only to the people of Guyana, but also the farmers and the rice industry. She said that this is the line that the new President has taken to keep going and to strengthen ties between Guyana and Venezuela in all fields.

In May, Minister Ramsammy and Venezuelan Nutrition and Food Safety Minister Felix Osorio signed a letter of Commitment for Guyana to supply 140,000 tonnes of paddy and 70,000 of white rice to Venezuela. A few weeks later Minister Ramsammy headed a team on a visit to Venezuela where the arrangement was finalised for the commencement of the shipment. The team was managed to maintain with Venezuela similar prices received in 2012 for exports.