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Fernando Galvez, Brodie's Customer
"I been following it and coincidentally I came around here to see if I could see what's on the market. But I think they are bringing it from somewhere in Guyana."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Would you support the local or continue supporting the local rice producers or do you prefer the Guyanese rice? Bear in mind the Guyanese rice is cheaper would sell for about over 60 cents cheaper than the local rice. What do you think about that?"

Fernando Galvez, Brodie's Customer
"I will still continue supporting the Belizean market. I think that sometimes like this - last time they had a drought somewhere in the north which did affect us and economically it employs a lot of Belizeans. It might be kind of expensive yes, but I still don't know the Guyanese price. But definitely I wouldn't care of buying the Belizean product."

Consumer, K-Park
"Well I can say that the quality is no Circle R and it's no Uncle Johns. The rice doesn't tend to swell as the local rice would swell. The appearance is obvious. The appearance is more broken and gritty-like. It's not whole grain and hence I guess it doesn't get to swell as the local rice would swell. So I am not a fan of that - that other rice."

Courtney Weatherburne
"So at the end of the day you will support our local rice?"

Consumer, K-Park
"I prefer it. I would like it right now."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Regardless of the price right if it's more expensive than the Guyanese rice?"

Consumer, K-Park
"Well we do have to be conscious of the price yes, but I would prefer the local rice over that other brand any day."

Loretta Brown, K-Park Consumer
"You see what happen, I prefer my local rice. Because that Guyanese rice, it doesn't swell. Especially of you have a houseful of children - it doesn't swell. So it is obvious to see that our local rice is better because if I buy one pound of rice, it could feed my household, but that Guyanese rice won't go anywhere."

Daron Solis, K-Park Consumer
"In these hard times I would support the cheaper rice. After all everything is going up. Sugar went up, price of regular gasoline went up, now cheaper rice. So that will kind of set off the going up of the other stuff."

Courtney Weatherburne
"So it doesn't concern you that if you choose the Guyanese rice, it would affect the local rice industry?"

Daron Solis, K-Park Consumer
"I think that should be a concern of the government. They are ones that should come out and bailed them out. What they should do is give them a subsidy. Subsidize their rice to make it competitive with the imported rice. That's the government's job."

Courtney Weatherburne
"You have been following the story on Guyanese rice versus our local rice. You said before nothing is wrong with getting a cheaper rice. But you are concern with the quality?"

Valerie Richardson, K-Park Consumer
"Yes, the quality is very important."

Courtney Weatherburne
"Based on the people was have spoken with, they say that the quality of the Guyanese rice doesn't match up or doesn't compare to our local rice."

Valerie Richardson, K-Park Consumer
"Well I am not sure about that because I haven't bought any Guyanese rice so far. So I can't compare both of them."

Courtney Weatherburne
"But at the end of the day in terms of quality, if our local rice has better quality than the Guyanese rice, you would choose our local rice regardless of the price?"

Valerie Richardson, K-Park Consumer
"Definite. Because it's all about quality and you don't want to be eating anything that doesn't taste good."

Again, in a release sent out by importer Jack Charles, he says that the Guyanese rice is Premiums Grade A and will sell for 0.69 cents a pound and he assures the public that price will hold for 2 years.