Suriname unloads disputed Guyana rice shipment as importer seeks its return

Surinamese authorities on Friday began unloading a disputed shipment of 384.8 tonnes of parboiled rice from Guyana under police guard, while the importer seeks permission to send it back.

According to Starnieuws, businessman Bhagwatpersad Ramadhin has written to Customs asking it to withdraw his import document and allow the vessel to return to Guyana.

The request comes after authorities seized the cargo over alleged breaches of import requirements.

Sixty of the shipment’s 282 large bags were unloaded on Friday, October 9, and transferred to storage facilities operated by banana company Food and Agriculture Industries in Nickerie.

The unloading operation at the port of Nieuw-Nickerie is scheduled to resume on Monday, October 12.

In his letter, received by Customs on October 9, Ramadhin cited mounting costs and the absence of import permission from Suriname’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries as reasons for seeking to return the rice.

The director of Rice Company B. Ramadhin also stated that a judge had authorised the vessel’s departure during a court hearing on Thursday, October 8.

However, Starnieuws reported that the hearing ended without a substantive ruling or judicial permission for the ship to leave with the cargo.

According to the report, Ramadhin was given the opportunity to withdraw his case, bringing the proceedings to an end.

Representing the State, lawyer Deepak Jairam opposed the vessel’s departure, arguing that the import had breached several legal requirements.

The dispute began after Ramadhin brought the rice into Suriname from Guyana without the required permission from the agriculture ministry, according to the report.

Customs seized the shipment, prompting the businessman to challenge the government’s intervention in court.

Authorities are continuing to unload the rice, with the agriculture, economic affairs and finance ministries involved in the operation. Police are supervising the work and guarding the port.

Ramadhin’s request to return the shipment remains unresolved, while part of the cargo has already been moved into storage.