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Today the media met Vega at the airport and he told us that they felt a visit was in order to sort of iron things out:...

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Dep. Prime Minister/Min of Agriculture
"We thought that due to present circumstances with the rice, it was just proper for us to go an visit with my colleague Minister of Agriculture Hon. Holder. We also had a meeting with Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Grinage. We also met the CEO and chairman of the Guyana rice development board with whom we discuss the present situation of the rice. They already knew of the breach or the breaking of the law by the importer. They knew about it."

Jules Vasquez
"Were the Guyanese having any feeling that Belize has had put up an illegal barrier to trade by using the sanitary and phytosanitary standards as a technical barrier to trade when really the rights should have been allowed onto the market. Were they offended by that?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Dep. Prime Minister/Min of Agriculture
"By no means. In fact they can recall that when we imported early 2014 we had to go through that process to ensure that the supplier was complying with food security, that the food was safe enough for us to import and in this case we needed to assure the viability of our rice industry. We discussed that in detail and we even discussed that we must look for a way forward in securing the food security."

Reporter
"What does this specific outcome mean of the local importer who has been making efforts to bring rice into Belize?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Dep. Prime Minister/Min of Agriculture
"Well, like I said we all agreed that it is in the best interest of Belize to secure food security and in this case secure the viability of our rice industry."

Jules Vasquez
"So what will happen in the future? Will we be importing more rice from Guyana under what circumstances? And who will import it? And will we end up paying the local producers prices for it which is cheaper than an importer may be able to sell it for?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Dep. Prime Minister/Min of Agriculture
"Well you know Jules and everyone in Belize knows that we have imported rice previously and we had imported from Guyana being a CARICOM country. Most naturally we would search for a supplier from CARICOM and we had imported from them only because we had a short fall in production."

Jules Vasquez
"But will that be happening again? have you all worked out a protocol for when there is a short fall for this to happen again and since Guyanese rice has a cheaper cost of production, a cheaper cost than Belize rice, will consumers ever benefit from it, or will they benefit in their pockets of the local producers?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Dep. Prime Minister/Min of Agriculture
"I don't think that we would ever do that, not even contemplate that. I don't know exactly what price the present importer is buying and willing to sell for, but I am certain that if the situation will appear where we would have a short fall we would ensure that we imported from a CARICOM country like we have done from Guyana and we would just ensure that we get our investment back."

Reporter
"Do you foresee a political fallout as a result of this, seeing as though Mr. Jack Charles, the importer is considered a financer of the United Democratic Party?"

Hon. Gaspar Vega - Dep. Prime Minister/Min of Agriculture
"Well, I don't know. I can't tell you he has never financed me and I'm a member of the united Democratic Party. So I don't know if he finances someone else. So I cannot answer that directly to be sincere with you."

Vega and Alpuche also visited the CARICOM Secretary General Irwin Larocque at CARICOM Headquarters in Georgetown.

As for the report that a bi lateral agreement would be signed, Vega told us that they will, quote, "probably set up a joint team to discuss" that - meaning, that one is on Caricom Standard Timing - don't expect it anytime soon.