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Guyana has always and will continue to be supportive of Suriname’s intention to import sugar from extra-regional sources, once it is premised by the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s inability to meet the needs of the market.This is according to Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud,Deion Jones Falcons Jersey, who was at the time responding to an article in the Suriname Times which questioned Guyana’s ability to supply that country.Persaud did stress that Guyana will not allow members in the region to be importing any subsidised commodities thus threatening the industry and will always, once it could supply it,Andrew Buie West Virginia Jersey, object to any waiver of the Common External Tariff (CET).This,Julius Peppers Packers Jersey UK, according to Minister Persaud,Tony Gonzalez Falcons Jersey UK, is evidenced by Guyana’s no objection to waivers of the CET between 2008 and this year.In 2008,Stephen Strasburg Nationals Jersey, Guyana agreed to a waiver between February and December to allow that country to import some 5,000 metric tonnes (mt) and another 10,000mt between January and October in 2009.At the 29th Meeting of the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) in Georgetown,Dave Robinson Packers Jersey UK, Guyana, the Guyana Sugar Corporation through its designated Ministry of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation again offered its no objection for a further extension of the waiver to July 2010.This was done for both Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.Persaud added that the Corporation has indicated that it will be in a position to supply the needs of both Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago from July and in this regard will be updating the 30th meeting of COTED to be held in May.Persaud emphasized that the Suriname market has been and will continue to be a very important market to Guyana.“Our records have shown that Guyana has been the sole supplier of brown sugar for direct consumption for the last 12 years and their need during that time has been assessed to be between 5,000 and 6,Cheap Rutgers Scarlet Knights Jerseys,000 mt of sugar.”He did concede that it was unfortunate that as a result of weather, the Corporation was unable to meet all of its market commitments for the years 2008 and 2009.“All sister-Caricom countries were advised in a timely manner and necessary waivers were approved to ensure uninterrupted supplies.”He did chide his Surinamese counterparts in that they “continue to make unsubstantiated requests for waivers for extremely large quantities of brown cane sugar and this has resulted in a prolonged processing time of the request by the Caricom Secretariat.” |
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