Belize produces enough rice to feed itself - but an Indian merchant wants to bring in rice from Guyana - where it's cheaper and because he can make a profit on it.
The CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture Jose Alpuche met with the rice producers yesterday to apprise them of the situation. He told us today that he stressed that government has no intention of granting a license to the importer.
But, it's not that simple. Under the revised treaty of Chaguaramas which established the Caricom Single Market and Economy - Government cannot simply block the importation of products that come from the Caribbean to protect a local product - and you can ask Belikin about that.
Still, government is holding its ground, but the importer has indicated that he may take dispute to COTED which is the council for trade and economic development. The merchant has indicated that he would present it as a trade dispute between Belize and Guyana.
Belize's Ministry of Agriculture is standing firm and saying it is not a trade dispute. They intend to meet with producers again next week to keep them updated on the evolving situation.
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