According to Wilgo Bilkerdijk, the chairman of the Association of Surinamese Manufacturers, Surinamese businesses have been unable to export to Guyana for about four months. He claims that this is a publicly proclaimed act of retaliation by Bharrat Jagdeo, the vice president of Guyana. Because he is dissatisfied with how Suriname is handling the problem of 150 fishing licenses, the latter has made the press multiple times.
According to Jagdeo, there is sufficient proof that a deal has been reached with the Surinamese administration to grant the licenses. Surinamese business owners are not permitted to supply, and Guyana, in theory, puts pressure on all imports coming from Suriname. Since this issue is deemed to be quite critical, the businesses are also partially suffering from a revenue loss.
The Surinamese administration has not yet reacted to the circumstance. The Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries (LVV), however, has said that it will not assist in the issuance of the licences. He claims that doing so would violate the law and allow all Caricom nations to fish in our waters. The permits in Guyana that had owners have also been revoked. These made thousands of dollars in payments, which the minister deemed unacceptable.
