Caribbean: Jamaica-Guyana Settle Rice Dispute

Jamaica and Guyana have reached an agreement ending the long pending dispute over Jamaica's application for a waiver on Caricom's Common External Tariff (CET) to allow for the importation of rice from the United States and other nations to meet its domestic requirements.

Discussions between Jamaica's s Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Guyana's President Bharrat Jagdeo resulted in Guyana agreeing not to oppose Jamaica's application for the suspension of the CET on 9,000 MT of rice already on its way from the United States and due to arrive in Kingston about May 20.

The Jamaican Government had earlier warned that it would override Guyanese resistance to the request for the suspension of the CET on rice imports from the United States, in order to guarantee domestic supplies.