US$3.5M worth of rice heads to Cuba

Cuba is set to receive its first shipment of rice from Guyana in five to six days as it prepares to depart the Muneshwar’s Wharf in Georgetown today.

This is the first time since 1999 that Cuba will be receiving rice from Guyana and not 40 years as the government had stated in a release last week, according to Allison Peters, a representative of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).

A visiting delegation from the country’s import agency for rice arrived in Guyana last week to finalise the agreement with Guyanese company, Nand Persaud and Company Limited.

The team from the agency called ALIMPORT comprises of Maria Cristina Ramos Perdomo and Reynaldo Aguirre Labora who will be here until September 26, 2017. The team was present at the Muneshwar’s Wharf to observe the loading of the rice and also checked on its quality.

Based on the agreement between the two companies, Nand Persaud & Company Limited will also continue to supply rice to Cuba in 2018 as the company prepares to draft an Investment Proposal to set up a rice-milling plant and warehouse in the Port Mariel Free Zone. Presently, Guyana enjoys a close relationship with Cuba since the 1970s and early 1980s.

The two countries officially established diplomatic ties in 1972 with Cuba agreeing to provide medical supplies, doctors, and medical training to Guyana, an initiative that still exists.