Guyana’s Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, said Thursday night that the country may have to start reciprocating tactics Trinidad and Tobago has used to restrict the entry of Guyanese exports into its local markets.
“It’s time for reciprocity in many areas. If you don’t take our stuff, we’re not going to allow free access to your products,” Jagdeo said at the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) Presentation Awards at the Marriott Hotel.
His comment was in response to an attendee at the event, Lesley Ramlall, who raised concerns about a historical pattern Trinidad employs to erect barriers to trade of goods from Guyana. Trinidad has in the past rejected and/or instituted bans against peppers, pineapples, poultry meat and honey, according to the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI).
“They use phytosanitary restrictions as a trade barrier,” Jagdeo said.
The Vice President also said Trinidad liberally approaches the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to interpret the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which mandates free movement of goods in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) region, among other things. He questioned why Guyana’s business community cannot do the same.
Jagdeo also urged the GMSA to elevate its concerns to the public realm. “Let’s fight it in the public domain. Raise it here so that public pressure forces resolution of these matters,” he said.
Guyanese business groups, like the GMSA and the GCCI, continue to argue that non-tariff barriers to trade go against the spirit of the Revised Treaty. The GMSA also believes that the use of such barriers is detrimental to CARICOM’s food security goals.
