TT manufacturers interested in Guyana but ‘bugbears’ an enduring problem

Manufacturers from Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) have a greater interest in Guyana’s market but enduring trade challenges between the countries remain a problem, Head of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) Rafeek Khan says.

The GMSA and the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA), Khan said, have been engaged in dialogue over the past year. Focus has been on sharing ideas, building capacity and ultimately, forging partnerships.

And because there is a keen interest in getting into Guyana’s space, more than 30 Trinidadian companies have come to Guyana for business-to-business exchanges.

“We had a frank discussion on some of the bottlenecks we’re seeing with Guyana to Trinidad,” Khan told the News Room at the sidelines of a recent event, however.

He later added, “We’re setting up working groups and exchanges at COTED level to see how we’re dealing with some of these bugbears year after year.”

The Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) is a body within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) that promotes trade and economic development within the bloc. It oversees the operation of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME), the region’s single market arrangement.

But there have been many challenges to the realisation of the CSME with some countries like Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) maintaining some trade barriers. And on Monday, during a virtual discussion, President Dr. Irfaan Ali once again lamented the trade barriers that exist.

“… although we are moving towards a single economy, we still have a restrictive treatment on our produce.

“Trade barriers are there in a major, major way,” the Head of State said. He also championed the ease of doing business in Guyana.

Given the high-level nature of the challenges that exist, Khan acknowledged that more government-to-government work is needed to bolster lobbying efforts.

He also related that there appeared to be a willingness on the part of the TTMA to engage the Trinidadian government in meaningfully dismantling some of the trade barriers that exist.

Already, TTMA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dr. Mahendra Ramdeem has publicly lamented the trade barriers between the two countries, emphasising that they are hampering the imports of agricultural produce.

“It is not that the private sector in Trinidad don’t want it [agriculture produce] to come to Trinidad… the political directorate needs to get these things right,” Dr.  Ramdeen reportedly said.

And, the Trinidad Guardian reported that the Trinidadian Minister of Trade and Industry Paula Gopee- Scoon has taken note of the concerns raised by Dr. Ramdeen.

“I will take up that and liaise with the Minister who has responsibility for Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, speak with our counterparts and establish clearly what is needed and move with speed to understand where the impediment is,” Gopee-Scoon was quoted as saying.