Help vulnerable states against globalisation -- President Jagdeo tells CARICOM
PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday said that CARICOM must regard itself as a buffer between vulnerable states like Guyana and some of globalisation's less desirable effects. And it was the need for this which led to Guyana experiencing difficulties in selling its rice to some CARICOM countries. Mr. Jagdeo was addressing the opening ceremony of the five-day International Symposium on Mechanised Rice Production and Marketing organised jointly by the Caribbean Rice Association (CRA) and the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB). "I hope that we can urgently find a solution to this problem. For, if we, as close partners, cannot live by the rules that we ourselves have fashioned, then we will have precious little moral ground on which to stand when negotiating with our more distant, powerful neighbours," Mr Jagdeo said. The symposium is intended to make Guyana more technologically competitive in the rice industry for the new millennium. Participants came from the United States, the United Kingdom, Cuba, Uruguay, Suriname and other countries. And President Jagdeo observed that this country's ability to function effectively in free and open markets is constrained by its limited access to technology and finance. Guyana must utilise its resources in such a way as to produce the maximum benefits for both the present population and future generations. In making decisions on the allocation of financial resources, it is necessary to take into account the ability of particular sectors to produce benefits that can be shared by the entire economy, President Jagdeo contended. At the same time, longer term investments have to be made in human resources and infrastructure that will help equip the economy to attain the level of flexibility and dynamism needed to propel it into the technological age. President Jagdeo noted that Guyana's rice industry, in many ways, is technologically advanced. There has been significant investment in agronomic research and the production of improved varieties. Mechanisation, on the other hand, has evolved through trial and error. Much of this knowledge base therefore resides more in the farming community than it does in the scientific environment. "If we are to make advances that would allow us to compete in highly competitive world markets, it is necessary for us to take a much more holistic approach to technology," Mr. Jagdeo said. He added that there is need for a cadre of personnel with understanding of the science of agriculture, its economics and sociology. CRA Head Mr. Beni Sankar observed that rice has come a long way since it was first introduced here in the middle of the 18th century. Sankar said that with support from the administration, Guyana can produce and export one million tonnes of rice per year. National yields are still too low, and there is room for improvement of overall efficiency, the rice miller said. Agriculture Minister Mr. Reepu Daman Persaud said increases have moved from 99,000 tonnes a year by a massive 270 per cent. This year there is a bumper crop of 360,000 tonnes. However, Guyana has not marketed itself well, Persaud said. It was observed that Guyana was recently able to access new markets in Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and some African countries. Minister Persaud feels there is need to explore the pros and cons of mechanised production from an economic point of view. And, he said, Government is committed to further expansion of the rice sector. Persaud is also certain that Guyana can produce one million tonnes of rice per year and he is confident that this country is well placed to meet this target in the near future. "Our biggest problems," he said, "are weather and marketing." Rice has provided the main staple for Guyanese and is now the largest user of agricultural lands. Within recent years, rice has also emerged as a major foreign exchange earner, Minister Persaud observed. (Gwen Evelyn)
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