The Government of Guyana will meet with exporters to discuss any potential effects of the US tariffs, particularly those impacting the agriculture sector.
This is according to Guyana’s Vice President (VP) and General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, who gave the assurance during his weekly press briefing at Freedom House on Thursday.
Dr Jagdeo also stated the government’s intentions to engage with the US during the current 90-day hold on the reciprocal taxes, in an effort to address the issue.
“We’re also meeting with the exporters who would be affected. A large amount of our exports are exempt—particularly oil, bauxite ore, and gold exports—from the reciprocal tariffs. But there are some crucial sectors that could be badly affected, mainly the agricultural sector and their exports. So, we’re meeting with the exporters to understand the impact of any potential tariffs,” Dr Jagdeo stated.
He explained that the government will work with the United States to examine all the facts surrounding the matter.
“President Trump has announced that the reciprocal tax has been put on hold for 90 days and that the United States of America is prepared to have discussions with countries about the reciprocal tax, and that 75 countries have already reached out to address the question of the reciprocal taxes or tariffs. So, we’re one of those countries. There is no room for panic, nor should we behave in a manner that is antagonistic to the United States of America. We expected higher tariffs, but we still believe that it is through engagement with the United States that we can resolve this matter, and that will be our approach. We have all the facts ready to present in the engagement,” the Vice President said.
He further refuted statements by the opposition regarding a holistic response plan to the issue, noting that he has not seen a single serious suggestion from the party on how to address the matter.
“They seem to want confrontation with the United States of America. They want us to explore retaliatory tariffs against the US. This is where they seem to be going. They said the tariff imposition was as a result of our negligence. It doesn’t make sense. Our trade surplus really came about because of the export of oil, which is also exported mainly by US companies,” Dr Jagdeo explained.
He noted that, thankfully, there were two positive signals from the US on the matter—namely, the 90-day tariff hold and President Trump’s willingness to engage with affected countries—emphasising that the government is ready to engage.
