State of Roraima is a lucrative partner in Region’s development – President Ali

Guyana sees the State of Roraima as a lucrative partner in the Caribbean Community’s (CARICOM) effort, which seeks to resolve the food security challenge thereby reducing the food import bill.

President, Dr Irfaan Ali believes that the two states must be critically integrated within the production and logistic chain.

The head of state made the disclosure during his recent visit there. Dr Ali, along with Barbados’ Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, met the Governor of Roraima, Antonio Denarium, at his palace in Boa Vista.

“There are tremendous opportunities with Barbados added to this partnership. Right now, we are working on a Barbados, Guyana food terminal and we want to expand that to Roraima. So not only are we looking now at the two markets but as to how we can bring the private sector together from Barbados, Roraima and Guyana.”

This, the president added, could see a massive food logistic hub being created to support the huge traffic coming to the region, including the cruise line industry.

Dr Ali pointed to the infrastructural development currently taking place in Guyana that will improve trade with the Roraima state.

He noted that with the involvement of Barbados, the goal of integrating the State of Roraima into CARICOM becomes closer to reality.

Providing an update on the Linden to Lethem Road link, Dr Ali hinted at Roraima playing a role in expediting its completion through investments.

“So that we could have the complete link ready. We are already pursuing many international partners for the development of the deep-water port… they are some private sector interests also here and from the government, I know you are going through some special phase now in the country but we are ready to move this forward very quickly,”the president added.

Additionally, President Ali noted that Guyana and Brazil must continue to build and expand their commercial relationship.

“It is a natural outcome for both countries, a win-win situation… So what we are working on now is ensuring from an institutional, production, logistic and people-to-people perspective… we build the right infrastructure and the right ecosystem to support the sustainable development of this commercial relation beyond the boundaries of Guyana and Roraima,” President Ali noted.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mottley underscored that a relationship between the State of Roraima and Barbados will be a game changer for the Caribbean.

“Once we can open up Roraima’s opportunities as a land lock state in the rest of the world through Guyana and then through Barbados, we can have access to the wider markets. Barbados has 27 flights to the United Kingdom; we have flights during the winter season… We have daily flights to a number of cities in the United States…”the prime minister noted.

She believes the Caribbean can learn from the State of Roraima as it relates to agricultural practices, specifically the artificial insemination programmes, to expand the livestock industry.

“We feel that it is also a market from which we get sources produced to keep the cost of living down. As you know the freight cost coming from the north Atlantic countries and further has gone through the roof over the last two, three years because of the COVID pandemic.”

President Ali and Prime Minister Mottley travelled to Boa Vista from Trinidad and Tobago, where the country heads visited for the Twin Island’s second Agri-Investment Forum and Expo.

Guyana’s Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond, and senior officials of the Barbadian government were also at the meeting.