“Only Coconut” factory closure: MoA to engage Foreign Ministry on exportation challenges

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha at the Only Coconut factory

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has indicated that he plans to engage Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Hugh Todd to address the ongoing challenges with the exportation of goods to Trinidad and Tobago (T&T).
The move is aimed at fostering smoother trade relations and resolving barriers affecting the manufacturing and agro-processing sectors.
This move comes days after Precision Global Incorporated – the parent company for the ‘Only Coconut’ line of products announced that it was having issues getting its products to Trinidad.
In an interview with Guyana Times on Saturday, Mustapha disclosed that the engagement will focus solely on the exportation challenges. The company was established in 2021 and employed over 120 people.
When in operation the factory can process over 100,000 coconuts daily. Mustapha said that the company’s operation is in line with the Government’s vision for the local coconut industry, and as a result, the administration will engage Trinidadian officials in an effort to resuscitate the market.
“The owner would have reached out and he told me that he is discussing it with Go- Invest (Guyana Office for Investment). And I think he told me he had an audience one time with Minister Todd but I will raise this issue because I am very concerned. We have the capacity to continue to produce the amount of oil and increase it. But at the same time, that factory has provided jobs for about 150 persons on the highway. So, it’s very important for us, both for the owner and also to provide jobs and also another thing to ensure that we create that kind of export and food production from Guyana level,” the Minister told the Guyana Times.
On the other hand, Chief Investment Officer and Head of GO-Invest, Dr Peter Ramsaroop that ‘Only Coconuts’ is moving to expand its production reach to Jamaica and other Caribbean member states.
One of the major concerns is the imposition of non-tariff barriers by Trinidad, which has slowed the entry of Guyana’s agricultural products into the market.
Guyanese exporters have raised complaints about excessive delays in obtaining import permits, overly stringent sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, and inconsistent application of regional trade agreements under CARICOM.
Farmers and exporters argue that these barriers contradict the principles of free movement of goods outlined in the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME).
Back in May, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo indicated that imports from any country which prevents Guyana’s commodities from entering its market will face similar restrictions when its exports are entering Guyana.
He was at the time addressing the return of bottled water and $20 million worth of milk imports from Guyanese company Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) which was recently blocked by Trinidadian authorities from entry.