The Guyana Rice Development Board will be looking to put stricter measures in place to safeguard the quality and export of Guyana’s rice.
The move comes after more than 30 containers of rice that was exported by one miller to Panama through the GRDB had to be returned, because it was rejected.
The shipment was rejected because it was not what was ordered by the Panamanians.
At a press conference this morning, the head of the GRDB, Nizam Hassan explained that when the rice arrived in Panama, it was parboiled rice and not the white rice that was ordered.
Mr. Hassan said when the rice was inspected while being packed, the right shipment was there, so there was some clear mix-up later by the company that caused a shipment of parboiled rice to be sent to Panama.
Attorney K. Juman Yassin is representing the interests of the rice miller, Feyaadul Hack. He said the rice miller has admitted that the wrong shipment was in fact sent to Panama and has stood the cost of its return to Guyana and the export of the new shipment.
He said the company has been exporting rice for several years and this is the first time that something of the sort has taken place.
Meanwhile, the GRDB has announced that it is now engaging the assistance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get additional information from the Jamaican government about a shipment of rice that was recently rejected by that country. The GRDB is adamant that all rice shipments are checked before leaving Guyana and there has been no issue with the rice to the Jamaican market around the time that the Jamaicans are claiming substandard rice arrived from Guyana.
That matter is still being investigated.
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