Right now is day number 6 for Belize City importer Jack Charles. He continues to wait for the Government authorities to give him written reasons as to why it has seized 3 containers of Guyanese rice at the Port of Big Creek.
The Government has stated clearly that it will not allow him to sell his Guyanese Rice in Belize because it will threaten the local rice producing industry.
But, Charles is undeterred. He says this is just a setback and continues to advertise his 69 cent rice as "coming soon".
He's asking for a dual price regime: one for his Guaynese Rice which will only take up 20% of the local market - and keep the producers honets, and another regime for locally produced rice. Here's what Jack Charles and the CEO in the Ministry of Agriculture both had to say on that issue:
Jose Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Agriculture
"What will happen right now is that we have an importer who is saying that he will voluntarily restrict his imports to 20% and I have yet to see one operating that way - that fashion in Belize. And secondly that he can only guarantee the price for two years. Now that says to me that what we may very well have here in addition to the subsidies issue is a question of dumping."
Jack Charles, trying to import Guyanese Rice
"I can assure that these price is going to last minimum 2 years and if any of the departments have any kind of doubts that down the road the price is going to go high, then why do we instead of putting a control price of 80cents and mentioning that C grade rice should only be sold for 80 cents, let's put it as rice to be sold as control price at 69 cents - where I can get tied up also and I cannot sell for more than 69 cents. If you guys or the government want to tie me up with the 69 cents per pound, then let's put the control price for everybody for 69 cents a pound - where I could afford to bring it in otherwise I will stop."
Jose Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Agriculture
"There is very little legally that we can do to tell importer A.B, C or D, you can only import X amount of a product. So I don't see the logic."
This evening, Charles released a statement accusing the CEO of Agriculture of deliberately misleading the public about his application for a BAHA permit for the shipment of Guyanese rice.
He said, quote, "the CEO seems to keep changing his statements, originally he stated that the importer did not apply for the BAHA permit and now that the application expired sitting on his desk…To date BAHA has not responded in writing to my legal representatives why the containers have been detained and this is very unprofessional, unethical and illegal."
As you heard last night, the Government reps told the press that the reason that the Government cannot allow the Guyanese rice into Belize is because it is subsidized, which drives down their production costs when compared to Belizean rice farmers.
To that, Charles says, quote, "This Morning we received a call from Guyana Rice Development Board who will later issue a statement on the specific allegations made by the Belizean official with respect to subsidy."
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