Guyana is currently awaiting certification from the CARICOM Secretariat to move ahead with the full implementation of the Guyana/Brazil Partial Scope Agreement, Minister of Foreign Trade and International Cooperation, Clement Rohee, said.

Rohee told the media at a press briefing yesterday that Guyana has finally ironed out its difficulties with its CARICOM sister countries in relation to their objection to a number of items on the list of products Guyana and Brazil had agreed to trade.

Guyana signed the agreement with Brazil in June 2001 but 63 products from Brazil’s original list were identified as sensitive products by CARICOM member states. Of that number it has been agreed that 39 will attract Most Favoured Nation (MFN) rate of duty, two will attract a 100% preference rate, and for the remaining 22, a 15% preference rate will apply.

The objective of the agreement is to foster bilateral trade flows through the exchange of tariff preferences between Guyana and Brazil. It is also meant to increase cooperation on trade matters and participation between the private sectors of both countries.

Now that the problems have been sorted out, Rohee said, “we will move to full implementation” as soon as the documents for certification have been signed.

“I am glad we have moved to this stage,” he said adding that it had been a long and difficult process. “Countries do not usually give in or agree to some of aspects of agreements especially when [these] concern national interests. But through careful and skilful negotiations we have been able to sort out the problems.”

At present, the agreement is being partially implemented. Only those products with which CARICOM had no objections are currently being traded between Guyana and Brazil.

The list of products which Guyana sells to Brazil includes calcined bauxite, rice, sugar, bottled rum, copra, red peppers, plywood, canned heart of palm, wooden furniture, sawn lumber, PVC pipes, corrugated cardboard, paper towels, chemical paper, aluminium sheets, and a range of primary agriculture products. Guyana will also export annual quotas of sugar, rice and red peppers.

The list of products from Brazil includes capital goods such as machinery and spare parts, building materials including steel products, industrial equipment, medicines, new tyres and electronic equipment.