Seafood dealers protest importation of shrimp from Suriname
Seafood dealers on the Corentyne, Berbice, on Friday protested the importation of shrimp from neighbouring Suriname. The concerned aquaculture famers took their protest action to the office of the Prime Minister at Port Mourant.
Carrying placards that read, “Smuggling of shrimp has severely affected our lives”; “We demand a positive solution to smuggling”; “Down with market officials for facilitating the smugglers/retailers”; “Down with Public Health officials in Region Six”; “Amend the Act on smuggling of shrimp/fish.”
More than 40 dealers braved the rain and held placards and chanted slogans as they took the Corentyne Highway.
The protestors are rearing shrimp and tilapia for a living, and are finding it difficult
Shrimp dealers protesting on Friday
to compete with the shrimp and fish coming in from Suriname.
According to the farmers, the shrimp and fish are brought into the country and sold at cheaper prices than they can produce.
For over 20 years the aquaculture dealers have been trying to have systems put in place to allow them to operate without unfair competition.
Secretary of the East Berbice Aquaculture Association Sewdat Persaud, on Friday said that the situation with the unfair competition has gotten from “bad to worse”.
“When the shrimp come from Suriname it floods the market and cause the price to go down. We normally sell for $8000 to $10,000 per bucket and they sell it for between $3000 and $4000 a bucket. So we can’t compete with them because our cost of production is higher,” Persaud said.
He noted that about eight known smugglers make about four trips daily to Suriname to trade shrimp and a further 10 does the same for tilapia.
He explained that the local aquaculture farmers are burdened with high cost for spare parts to dig ponds and construct dams, all of which attract VAT.
The protesters claim that with the frequency of which the shrimp and fish arrive in Guyana, without a certificate of wholesomeness, suggest that some in authority might be benefiting from the illegal trade.
Regional Environmental Officer Marvin Dindyal met with the protestors, but during a heated argument referred to them as animals.
Meanwhile, Chetram Samaroo, another affected businessman, said that they have received numerous promises that the matter would be addressed.
He claims that Vice President Khemraj Ramjattan, while on the campaign trail during the 2015 elections, urged the shrimp dealers to vote for the Coalition as they will address the issue.
Some of the concerned operators claim that rental for ponds are very high. Premwattie Deonaught of Number 50 Village says she pays $100,000 in rental monthly. In addition, she has to pay workers to weed, harvest and for fish feed and cannot make a profit at the lower cost.
