Guyana-Mexico strengthen relations with trade and scholarships
DPI, GUYANA, Thursday, January 4, 2018
Guyana is expected to have a larger presence this March at Expo ANTAD 2018, one of Mexico’s largest trade show for food and beverage.
Flashback: the first shipment of rice to Mexico being loaded to the Chamchuri Naree.
The Embassy of Mexico has teamed up with the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and COPA Airlines to ensure “Guyana has a bigger presence at Expo ANTAD 2018” Mexican Ambassador Ivan Roberto Sierra Medel told Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo in a letter.
The initiative is part of fostering closer trade links between Mexico and Guyana with a focus on rice and paddy. Last year, Guyana exported 88,000 tons of paddy to Mexico, the single largest destination of Guyanese grain exports.
The GRDB was part of a business mission to Mexico’s Expo ANTAD 2017, facilitated by the Mexican Embassy. Expo ANTAD is the largest trade fair in Latin America which is held in Guadalajara, Mexico. This year’s fair is scheduled for March 6-8, 2018.
Prime Minister Nagamootoo has been instrumental in forging relations between the two countries. In October 2015, the Prime Minister led a government delegation to the Summit of Open Governance Partnership (OGP) which subsequently led to the rice deal.
Meanwhile, the government of Mexico has recommitted to making scholarships available to Guyanese. Ambassador Sierra noted that three Guyanese will begin their degree in Geoscience studies at the Instituto Politecnico Nacional (IPN) in August 2018.
As of 2017, four Guyanese have been granted scholarships to pursue their studies in Mexico. The areas of studies included Biology specifically in the area of genetic enhancement of coconut, Advanced Agriculture and Civil Engineering at the Mexican Institute for Petroleum (IMP).
In March 2017, Mexico’s IMP and the Ministry of Natural Resources signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to build capacity in Guyana’s oil and gas industry.
By: Tiffny Rhodius
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