With Guyana increasing its export prices for rice, largely owing to a series of flood-related circumstances, Barbados has reached out to Guyanese authorities seeking to ensure a steady, affordable and timely supply of this commodity.
This is according to Guyana’s Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, who said that once a timetable for the deliveries has been confirmed, a formal agreement will be signed.
“Barbados is requesting approximately 3,000 tonnes of rice; we are now tidying up the arrangement, and then we will sign a MoU [Memorandum of Understanding] to ensure we deliver to them,” Minister Mustapha said.
Head of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Kuldip Ragnauth said that the arrangement is that Guyana will supply Barbados with rice from November 2021 to December 2022 at a slightly reduced cost.
The intervention, according to Ragnauth, allows for Barbados to not only receive a good and stable deal on rice prices, but it also ensures that the country has a continuous and reliable supply of rice.
