WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1  
9 February 2016  
(16-0838)  Page: 1/77  
Trade Policy Review Body   
 
 TRADE POLICY REVIEW 
REPORT BY THE SECRETARIAT 
GUYANA  
Revision 
This report, prepared for the third Trade Policy Re view of Guyana, has been drawn up by the WTO 
Secretariat on its own responsibility. The Secr etariat has, as required by the Agreement 
establishing the Trade Policy Review Mech anism (Annex 3 of the Marrakesh Agreement 
Establishing the World Trade Organization), sought clarification from Guyana on its trade policies and practices.  
Any technical questions arising from this repo rt may be addressed to Masahiro Hayafuji 
(tel: 022 739 5873); and Xinyi Li (tel: 022 739 5579).  
Document WT/TPR/G/320 contains the policy statement submitted by Guyana. 
 
 
Note: This report was drafted in English. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  CONTENTS 
SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... . 6 
1   ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT .......................................................................................... 9  
1.1   Recent Econom ic Developments................................................................................... 9  
1.2   Monetary and Ex change Rate  Policies .......................................................................... 10 
1.3   Fisca l Policy ........................................................................................................... .. 11 
1.4   Balance of Payments ................................................................................................. 13 
1.5   Developments in Merchandise Trade ............................................................................ 14 
1.5.1   Composit ion of trade .............................................................................................. 14 
1.5.2   Direction of trade ................................................................................................... 14 
1.5.3   Foreign di rect inve stment........................................................................................ 16 
2   TRADE AND INVE STMENT RE GIME ............................................................................ 18  
2.1   Genera l Framework .................................................................................................. 18 
2.2   Trade Policy Objectives and Implementation ................................................................. 18 
2.3   Trade Agreements and Arrangements .......................................................................... 19 
2.3.1   WTO ................................................................................................................... . 19 
2.3.2   Regional and bilateral agreements ............................................................................ 19 
2.3.3   Other non-reci procal arra ngements .......................................................................... 21 
2.4   Investme nt Regime .................................................................................................. 21 
2.4.1   Busine ss enviro nment ............................................................................................ 21 
2.4.2   Foreign investment regime ...................................................................................... 21 
3   TRADE POLICIES AND PRACTICES BY MEASURE ........................................................ 23  
3.1   Measures Direct ly Affectin g Imports ............................................................................ 23 
3.1.1   Customs procedur es and requirements ..................................................................... 23 
3.1.2   Custom s valuation ................................................................................................. 25 
3.1.3   Rules of origin .......................................................................................................  25 
3.1.4   Tariffs ............................................................................................................... ... 25 
3.1.4.1   WTO bound tariffs ............................................................................................... 25 
3.1.4.2   Applied MFN tariffs .............................................................................................. 26 
3.1.4.3   Tariff exempt ion and adju stments ......................................................................... 29 
3.1.4.4   Preferential tariffs ............................................................................................... 29 
3.1.5   Internal taxes and other charges collected at the border .............................................. 30 
3.1.5.1   Internal taxes ..................................................................................................... 30 
3.1.5.2   Other charges ..................................................................................................... 31 
3.1.6   Import  controls ..................................................................................................... 31 
3.1.6.1   Import prohibit ions and rest rictions ....................................................................... 31 
3.1.6.2   Import licensing .................................................................................................. 33 
3.1.7   Continge ncy measures ........................................................................................... 34 
3.1.8   Technical regu lations and standards ......................................................................... 34 
3.1.9   Sanitary and phyt osanitary requ irements .................................................................. 35 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  3.2   Measures Directly Affecting Exports ............................................................................. 37 
3.2.1   Export document ation and pr ocedures ...................................................................... 37 
3.2.2   Export duties ........................................................................................................ 37 
3.2.3   Export prohibitions, restrictions, and licensing ............................................................ 38 
3.2.4   Export suppo rt and pr omotion ................................................................................. 38 
3.2.5   Export finance, insurance, gu arantees ...................................................................... 39 
3.3   Measures Affectin g Production and Trade ..................................................................... 39 
3.3.1   Taxation and incentives .......................................................................................... 39 
3.3.2   Non-tax incentives  and other a ssistan ces .................................................................. 41 
3.3.3   State trading, an d state-owned enterprises ............................................................... 41 
3.3.4   Competition and cons umer protection policy .............................................................. 42 
3.3.5   Governme nt procurement ....................................................................................... 43 
3.3.6   Intellectual property rights ...................................................................................... 45 
4   TRADE POLICIES BY SECTOR ..................................................................................... 47  
4.1   Agriculture, fish eries, and forest ry .............................................................................. 47 
4.1.1   Agriculture ............................................................................................................ 47 
4.1.2   Fisheries ............................................................................................................... 49 
4.1.3   Fo restry  .............................................................................................................. . 50 
4.2   Mining .................................................................................................................. .. 51 
4.2.1   Gold .................................................................................................................. .. 52 
4.2.2   Bauxit e ............................................................................................................... . 53 
4.3   Energy .................................................................................................................. .. 53 
4.3.1   El ectricity ........................................................................................................... .. 53 
4.3.2   Petroleum ............................................................................................................. 55 
4.4   Manuf acturi ng .......................................................................................................... 55 
4.5   Services ................................................................................................................ .. 56 
4.5.1   Main features ........................................................................................................ 56 
4.5.2   Financial services ................................................................................................... 57 
4.5.2.1   Banking .............................................................................................................  57 
4.5.2.2   Insura nce .......................................................................................................... 58 
4.5.3   Telecommunications ............................................................................................... 59 
4.5.4   Transport .............................................................................................................  60 
4.5.4.1   Air transport ....................................................................................................... 60 
4.5.4.2   Mariti me tran sport .............................................................................................. 62 
4.5.5   Professi onal serv ices .............................................................................................. 63 
4.5.5.1   Legal services ..................................................................................................... 63 
4.5.5.2   Accountancy services ........................................................................................... 63 
REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 6 5 
5   APPENDIX  TABLES .................................................................................................... 66  
 
 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  CHARTS 
 Chart 1.1 Merchandise trade by ma in HS Sections, 2009 and 2014 ......................................... 15
 
Chart 1.2 Merchandise trade, by main origin and destinat ion, 2009 an d 2014 ........................... 16 
Chart 2.1 Reciprocal trade agreements, 2015 ....................................................................... 20 
Chart 3.1 Average applied MFN tariff an d bound rates, by HS Sectio ns, 2014............................ 26 
Chart 3.2 Frequency distribu tion of MFN tariffs , 2014 ............................................................ 27 
 
TABLES 
 Table 1.1 Basic economic indicators, 2009-14  ....................................................................... 9
 
Table 1.2 Main monetary indicato rs (end of pe riod), 2009-14 ................................................. 11 
Table 1.3 Fiscal accounts of the Central Government, FY2009-14 ............................................ 11 
Table 1.4 Balance of payments, 2009-14 ............................................................................. 13 
Table 3.1 Summary of procedures and do cuments for trading across bord ers, 2015................... 23 
Table 3.2 Tariff structure, 2008 and 2014 ............................................................................ 26 
Table 3.3 Summary of th e tariff sched ule, 2014 ................................................................... 27 
Table 3.4 Tariff lines where MFN ra tes exceed WTO bo und rates,  2014 .................................... 28 
Table 3.5 Summary of pr eferential tariffs , 2014 ................................................................... 29 
Table 3.6 Duties and taxes coll ected at the bo rder, 2009 -13 .................................................. 30 
Table 3.7 Import prohibitio ns under the Customs Act ............................................................ 31 
Table 3.8 Import restrictio ns under the Customs Act ............................................................. 32 
Table 3.9 Import lic ensing re gime, 2015 ............................................................................. 33 
Table 3.10 Technical regulation s, 2014 ............................................................................... 35 
Table 3.11 Active SPS measures of  import prohibit ion, Ap ril 2015 ........................................... 37 
Table 3.12 Export  duties , 2014  .......................................................................................... 37 
Table 3.13 Export allowance,  2014  ..................................................................................... 38 
Table 3.14 Tax re venues, 2009-13  ..................................................................................... 39 
Table 3.15 VAT and Excise  Tax revenue s, 2009- 13 ............................................................... 40 
Table 3.16 Tender awar d threshol ds, 2015  .......................................................................... 44 
Table 4.1 Agricultural  production , 2010-13  .......................................................................... 47 
Table 4.2 Tax exemptions for agriculture ............................................................................. 48 
Table 4.3 Fisheries production, 2009-13 .............................................................................. 50 
Table 4.4 Mining pr oduction, 2009-13  ................................................................................. 52 
Table 4.5 Fiscal incentives to manufacturing in dustries , 2014 ................................................. 56 
Table 4.6 Key feature of air services agreem ent, 2014 .......................................................... 61 
 
APPENDIX TABLES 
 Table A1.1 Merchandise exports and re -exports by HS Sections, 2009-14 ................................ 66
 
Table A1.2 Merchandise import s by HS Sectio ns, 2009- 14 ..................................................... 67 
Table A1.3 Merchandise exports and re -exports by tradin g partner,  2009– 14 ........................... 68 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  Table A1.4 Merchandise import s by trading pa rtner, 2009-14 ................................................. 69 
 
Table A2.1 Selected notifications to the WTO, Janua ry 2009-Marc h 2015 ................................. 71 
Table A2.2 Guyana's preferenti al trade agreem ents, Ap ril 2015 .............................................. 73 
 
Table A4.1 Main bodies active  in the agricu lture se ctor .......................................................... 77 
 
 
 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  SUMMARY 
1. During the period under review, Guyana continued its efforts to liberalize and facilitate 
trade. These included: starting the operation of risk management in customs procedures; 
eliminating some export duties on non-manufacture d goods; and concluding negotiations of new or 
revised (and more liberal) bilateral air services agreements with several trading partners. Guyana 
also lowered the corporation tax rate and adopted new laws concerning sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures during the review period. 
2. Since its previous Review in 2009, Guyana's economic performance has improved, 
supported in particular by foreign direct investment and the expansion of private sector credit.  GDP growth has been robust; real GDP is expected  to have expanded by 5.6% in 2014. Guyana's 
per capita GDP is estimated at close to US$4,000 in 2014, up from around US$2,360 in 2009. 
Inflation has become milder over the past years. 
3. The current focus of Guyana's monetary policy is to attain price stability and provide 
adequate level of liquidity for credit expansion and economic growth. The benchmark 91-day 
Treasury Bill discount rate came down to around 1.6% in 2014 from around 4.2% in 2009.  
4. Guyana's public finances improved during th e first half of 2014 due to increased central 
government current revenue and lower capital ex penditure, and the overall balance recorded a 
surplus. Public debt stood at around 56% of GDP in the first half of 2014, down from around 67% 
in 2009. Financial performances of public enterpri ses have been mixed during the review period; 
they deteriorated during the first half of 2014, after two consecutive years of surpluses. 
5. The economy largely depends on the exports of some primary commodities including sugar, 
gold, bauxite, shrimp, timber, and rice. During th e review period, Guyana's current account deficit 
worsened; in 2014, the deficit was estimated to have reached around 15% of GDP. This was mostly due to a large deficit in merchandise trade. The services account deficit slightly decreased 
during the review period; it was estimated to have amounted to around 5.6% of GDP, in 2014. 
Transfers, particularly remittances by Guyanese workers abroad, remained an important positive 
contribution to the current account. 
6. Sustaining economic growth requires that Guyana continues to apply prudent 
macroeconomic policies, strengthens governance, and implements structural reforms, in particular, in the areas of electricity and transport.  
7. The Government intends to encourage inward foreign direct investment. National treatment 
is applied to all economic activities except for certain mining operations. During the review period, 
the Government took actions to improve the business environment such as lowering the corporation tax rates, restructuring property regi stration fees and establishing a credit report 
system. Incentives for FDI include income tax holidays, and tariff and value-added tax (VAT) 
exemptions. 
8. Guyana is an original Member of the WTO and provides at least MFN treatment to all trading 
partners. It did not participate in the GATS extended negotiations on financial services or 
telecommunications. Guyana considers the multilateral trading system as the best safeguard for the interests of small developing economies, an d advocates that the development needs of small 
economies, particularly special and differential treatment, should be maintained and strengthened. 
9. Guyana continues to implement its National Trade Strategy, finalized in 2003, whose focus is 
to enhance market access for Guyanese exports.  Guyana's trade policy is formulated by the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and is coordinated within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). During 
the period under review, no new regional trade agreements (RTAs) involving Guyana and its 
trading partners were concluded; RTA negotiations between the CARICOM and Canada are on-going. 
10. Guyana's tariff structure is relatively simple: all tariff rates are ad valorem , and no tariff rate 
quotas are in place. All tariff lines are bound. The simple average applied MFN rate in 2014 was 12.1%, while the average bound rate was 58.3% in the same year. Applied MFN tariffs ranged from zero to 100%. 9.5% of tariff lines are duty fr ee. The largest proportion of tariff lines (52.2%) WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  was subject to a tariff rate greater than zero but lower than 5%, while 18.7% of lines were subject 
to tariff rates between 15% and 20%. The simple average applied MFN tariff for WTO non-agricultural products (10%) was considerably lower than that for WTO agricultural products (22.7%) in 2014.  
11. The VAT and the excise tax are applied to certain goods, domestically-produced or imported; 
for some goods, zero-rated VATs are applied to  some domestically-produced goods but not to 
imports. In 2013, tariffs and other taxes collected from imports accounted for 45.2% of Guyana's 
total tax revenue. Duties on non-manufactured goods exported to the EU and the Dominican 
Republic were eliminated in 2012.  
12. Guyana continued to streamline customs procedures and implement trade-facilitation 
measures during the review period. Since Custom s started its operation of risk management in 
2009, physical inspections have no longer been required for each consignment of imports and 
exports (except for export to the United States and the United Kingdom), and the length of time 
required for customs procedures has been reduce d. In April 2015, Guyana established a national 
committee to coordinate the implementation of th e WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation. Guyana 
has not yet submitted its Category A notification under the Agreement.  
13. Guyana maintains import prohibitions/restrictions for the reasons of, inter alia,  public health, 
public safety, and international obligations. Products subject to import prohibitions/restrictions are 
listed in the Customs Act as well as in other laws. Guyana operates an import licensing system on a number of products. Among these products, rice , sugar, and arms and ammunition are subject 
to non-automatic licensing requirements. Goods originating from other CARICOM members are not 
subject to the import licensing requirements. 
14. Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the Guyana Gold Board are statutory state-
trading entities for sugar and gold, respectively. Imports and exports of sugar (except imports of 
refined sugar) are exclusively reserved for GuySuC o; imports of refined sugar by other companies 
are subject to non-automatic licensing. Private persons/companies may obtain authorizations to sell or export gold. 
15. In 2011, Guyana adopted new SPS laws. In the same year, it appointed the National 
Agricultural Research and Extension Institute as the national enquiry point in the WTO for SPS issues. Under the new law, imports of animals and animal products are no longer required to be sourced from prescribed countries, but may originate from any territories that are diseases-free 
determined by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). 
16. As at end-March 2015, there were 531 Guyanese  national standards. The authorities state 
that around 80% of Guyanese standards are aligne d with international standards. In 2014, there 
were 22 technical regulations in force, most of which were on labeling requirements.  
17. Guyana's government procurement regime rema ined largely unchanged during the review 
period; the National Procurement and Tender Admi nistration Board remains responsible for public 
procurement in Guyana. The Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission was restructured and 
became operational in 2011 to enforce Guyana's competition policies. The authorities indicate that technical assistance is needed in both areas for further improvement of the system. 
18. Most of Guyana's intellectual property laws date  back to the period before 1966. With a view 
to speeding up the process and clearing the backlog, Guyana established in May 2014 a new 
commercial registry to handle administration of intellectual properties. Under the Economic Partnership Agreement between the CARIFORUM (C ARICOM plus the Dominican Republic) and the 
European Union, Guyana is committed to adequately implementing its international obligations 
related to intellectual property.  
19. Guyana's main agricultural products are suga r and rice. Sugar farming is dominated by the 
100% state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation. Rice production is carried out by private producers, 
the vast majority of whom are small-scale farmers. Guyana also produces a wide variety of "non-traditional" agricultural products (e.g. frui ts and vegetables). Against the background of 
changes started in 2006 in the sugar import regime  of the EU, Guyana's main market for sugar, 
Guyana’s sugar industry has been making efforts to reduce production costs and diversify WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  products. Government support to agriculture mainly takes the form of extension services to 
farmers and various tax exemptions; provisions of grants and concessionary loans are generally limited, except to the rice industry. A revise d National Log Policy, introduced in 2012, for 2012-
2014 raised the commission rates levied on exports of certain species of log. 
20. Mining and quarrying accounted for 18.0% of GDP in 2013, up from 14.2% in 2009; since 
the previous review of Guyana, there has been littl e change to the legislation governing the sector.  
Guyana remains almost entirely dependent on its imports of fuel oil for electricity generation: 95% 
of electricity is generated by diesel and heavy fu el oil, and 5% by co-generation using bagasse. No 
electricity is currently generated from hydroelectric power. The authorities maintain their commitment to the Amaila Falls Hydro-electric Proj ect (AFHP) and expect financing of the project 
to be settled in 2015. In 2013, manufacturing (including food processing) accounted for 6.7% to 
GDP. Guyana relies heavily on imports of manufactured goods. 
21. Services accounted for 60.4% of Guyana's GDP in 2013. The main subsectors identified in 
the national economic statistics are distribution , transport and communications, engineering and 
construction, and government services. During the review period, regulatory changes were 
introduced notably in financial services and air transport. In 2010, Guyana adopted the Credit Reporting Act to establish a credit reporting system; in 2014 negotiations of bilateral air services 
agreements between Guyana and several of its tr ading partners were finalized. The Government 
has recently been trying to renegotiate the license accorded to the de facto  monopoly supplier of 
fixed telephony.  
 
 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  1  ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT 
1.1  Recent Economic Developments 1.1.  Since its previous Review in 2009, Guyana 's economic performance has improved, supported 
inter alia by foreign direct investment and the expansion of private sector credit. Real GDP growth 
has been robust; in 2013, real GDP grew by 5.2%, and it is expected to have expanded by 5.6% 
in 2014. Guyana's per capita GDP is estimated at close to US$4,000 in 2014, up from around US$2,360 in 2009. 
1.2.  Inflation has become milder over the pa st years; the urban consumer price index for 
Georgetown, Guyana's main measure of inflation, grew by 1.2% in 2014, mainly helped by moderate food prices and the lower prices of oil imports. Unemployment is not measured systematically in Guyana.  
1.3.  The economy largely depends on the export s of some primary commodities including sugar, 
gold, bauxite, shrimp, timber, and rice. The six products accounted for about 77% of exports in 
2014; some of these products are highly susceptible to adverse weather conditions and 
fluctuations in commodity prices. During the review period, imports of goods and services 
exceeded exports substantially; the resulting merchandise and services trade deficit generated a persistent current account deficit. 
1.4.  The Guyanese communities overseas make important contributions to the domestic economy 
through remittances. According to balance-of-payments data, remittances amounted to US$306.7 million in 2014 (equivalent to some 9. 6% of GDP). The economy is also highly 
dependent on official grants from abroad to finance domestic consumption. Guyana's trade 
(imports and exports) in goods and services amounted to around 130.5% of GDP in 2013. 
1.5.  Sustaining economic growth requires that Guyana continues to apply prudent macroeconomic 
policies, strengthens governance, and implements stru ctural reforms, in particular, in the areas of 
electricity and transport. To respond to some of these requirements, the authorities devised a 
National Development Strategy, and have adopted an action plan for the National Development Strategy (section 2.4.2). 
1.6.   The GDP share of agriculture has decrease d by around 2 percentage points since Guyana's 
last Review in 2009, mainly due to a reduction in the contribution of sugar cane production. However, the sector is still an important contribu tor to GDP, accounting for 18.9% of the total in 
2013 (Table 1.1). The share in GDP of mining incr eased during the review period, from 14.2% in 
2009 to 18.0% in 2013. The mining sector involves primarily the production of gold, bauxite, and 
diamonds; the dynamism of the sector during the re view period is due mainly to the increase in 
the production of gold. The share of manufacturing  in GDP is small and has decreased by around 
1 percentage point since 2009, to 6.7% in 2013, largely due to a reduction in the production of 
refined sugar. Services, which are the main contributor to GDP, accounted for 60.4% of GDP in 2013, slightly down from 61.2% in 2009.  
Table 1.1 Basic economic indicators, 2009-14 
 2009  2010  2011  2012 2013 2014a 
Gross domestic product (GDP)       
Current GDP (G$ million)b 413,114 460,072 525,672 582,657 614,130 666,495 
Current GDP (US$ million)b 2,033 2,261 2,580 2,849 2,978 3,204 
Nominal GDP per capita (US$) 2,359 2,620 3,018 3,347 3,496 3,813 
Real GDP growth (%) 3.3 4.4 5.4 4.8 5.2 5.6 
Sectoral structure of GDPc       
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing 20.6  18.3 18.6 18.7 18.9 18.3  
 Sugar cane 4.3 2.3 3.4 3.8 3.2 3.4 
 Rice paddy 3.8 4.0 4.8 4.5 5.0 4.6 
 Other crops 4.0 3.9 2.8 2.5 2.5 2.4 
 Livestock  2.8 2.6 2.6 2.9 3.2 3.0 
 Forestry 3.5 3.6 3.0 2.7 2.9 2.0 
 Fishing 2.0 1.9 2.1 2.3 2.1 2.8 
Mining and quarrying 14.2 16.0 19.1 21.3 18.0 17.4 
 Bauxite 1.9 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.1 
 Gold 10.2 12.5 15.6 18.1 14.7 13.8 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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   2009  2010  2011  2012 2013 2014a 
 Other  2.1 1.4 1.3 1.0 1.4 1.4 
Manufacturing 7.7 6.8 6.5 6.3 6.7 6.5 
 Sugar 1.2 0.6 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.9 
 Rice 2.3 2.1 1.8 1.7 2.2 2.0 
 Other 4.3 4.1 3.8 3.6 3.7 3.6 
Services  61.2 62.8 59.7 57.5 60.4 61.7 
 Electricity and water 2.3 2.6 1.3 1.3 2.1 2.1 
 Construction 10.1 10.4 9.6 7.8 8.9 9.3 
 Wholesale and retail trade 14.1 14.8 15.8 15.7 14.3 14.3 
 Transport and storage 5.9 6.3 6.0 6.3 7.0 7.3 
 Information and communication 5.3 5.4 4.7 4.4 4.5 4.5 
 Real estate activities 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 
 Financial and insurance activities 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.8 5.3 
 Public administration 9.2 8.7 8.5 8.4 8.9 9.1 
 Other service activities 3.3 3.5 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.8 
Less financial intermediation services 
indirectly measured (FISIM) -3.6 -3.9 -3.9 -3.9 -4.1 -3.9 
Total valued added (G$ million) 359,549 400,922 460,108 511,337 537,428 586,795 
Memorandum item       
Population (estimated, end of the year) 753,200 752,100 750,700 748,900 746,900 745,000 
a Budget 2014 data. 
b Figures at current market prices. c As a percentage of total value added at basic prices. 
Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guyana; and the Bureau of Statistics online information. 
Viewed at: http://www.statisticsguyana.gov.gy  
1.2  Monetary and Exchange Rate Policies 
1.7.  The current focus of Guyana's monetary policy is to attain price stability and provide 
adequate level of liquidity for credit expansion and economic growth.1 An accommodative 
monetary policy continued, by and large, during the period under review. The benchmark 91-day 
Treasury Bill discount rate came down to around 1.6% in 2014 from around 4.2% in 2009 
(Table 1.2). 
1.8.  The Bank of Guyana (BOG), the Central Ba nk, is responsible for Guyana’s monetary policy. 
The Bank’s main objectives are: "fostering domest ic price stability through the promotion of stable 
credit and exchange rate conditions, as well as sound financial intermediation conducive to the 
growth of the economy".2  
1.9.  The main monetary policy instrument used by  the Bank is open market operations, i.e. the 
management of the money supply by the Bank’s purchase and sale of securities in the financial 
market. All deposit-taking financial institutions operating in Guyana are subject to a reserve requirement ratio of 12% applicable to all liab ilities; this requirement represents the minimum 
balance these institutions are required to maintain with the Bank of Guyana.
3 A s  p a r t  o f  i t s  
monetary policy, the Bank has the authority to alter the reserve requirements. The utilization of 
reserve requirement management as a policy instrument has been limited; the ratio has not been altered since 1999. 
4 An Open Market Operation Committee meets weekly to set weekly targets 
based on the current and expected performance of inflation and the exchange rate, along with the 
Government’s financing requirements.  
                                               
1 Bank of Guyana (2014b). 
2 Bank of Guyana online information. Viewed at: http://www.bankofguyana.org.gy/bog/legal-regulatory-
framework/legal-regulator y-framework-overview. 
3 Bank of Guyana (2014). 
4 Bank of Guyana online information. Viewed at: 
http://www.bankofguyana.org.gy/bog/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=118:reserve-requirements&catid=50:statutes. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  Table 1.2 Main monetary indicators (end of period), 2009-14 
 2009  2010  2011  2012 2013 2014a 
Monetary and credit aggregates 
(growth rates)       
M1 8.7 21.8 20.3 15.6 2.5 13.9 
M2 9.7 15.5 16.1 11.5 3.8 0.8 
Credit to the private sector 5.7 19.0 19.9 20.1 14.5 4.9 
Nominal interest rates (%)       
Treasury Bill discount rate (91 days) 4.18 3.78 2.35 1.45 1.45 1.58 
Treasury Bill discount rate (364 days) 4.47 3.59 2.51 1.54 2.14 2.38 
Prime lending rateb 14.22 15.06 14.33 12.50 12.30 11.07 
Inflationc       
Consumer price index (CPI) 3.7 4.4 3.4 3.4 0.9 1.2 
Exchange rate       
Nominal exchange rate (G$/US$) 203.25 203.5 203.75 204.5 206.25 206.5 
Real effective exchange rate (index 
2010=100)d 101.2 100.0 97.7 100.8 101.1 100.7 
a Preliminary data. 
b Represents lending rates of co mmercial banks weighted by the amount of loans issued at the 
corresponding rate. 
c Corresponds to Georgetown's urban consumer price index. 
d IMF, International Financial Statistics; an increase represents an appreciation. 
Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guya na; Guyana Bureau of Statistics online information. 
Viewed at: http://www.statisticsguyana.gov.gy ; Bank of Guyana online information. Viewed at: 
http://www.bankofguyana.org.gy/bog ; and IMF (2014). 
1.10.  The Bank of Guyana Act of 1998 states that: "the rate of exchange of the Guyana dollar in 
all currencies shall be determined on the basis of prevailing market conditions". At the same time, the Act grants the BOG the authority to intervene in the foreign exchange rate market to minimize volatility and maintain price stability.
5 In practice, over 2009-14, the nominal exchange rate with 
the U.S. dollar did not vary more than 2% within any given 12-month period. The IMF has 
classified Guyana's de facto  exchange rate regime as a "stabilized arrangement".6 Since 2009, the 
Guyanese dollar has depreciated slightly against the U.S. dollar in nominal terms; the real 
effective exchange rate remained almost unchanged. 
1.3  Fiscal Policy 1.11.  The Ministry of Finance is responsible fo r preparing the annual budget and for administering 
grants and loans received through different debt relief initiatives.  Guyana's public finances 
improved during the first half of 2014 due to increased central government current revenue and lower capital expenditure, and the overall balanc e recorded a surplus (Table 1.3). Public debt 
stood at around 56% of GDP in the first half of 2014, down from around 67% in 2009. Financial 
performances of public enterprises have been mi xed during the review period; they deteriorated 
during the first half of 2014, after two consecutive years of surpluses. 
Table 1.3 Fiscal accounts of th e Central Government, FY2009-14 
(% of current GDP) 
 2009  2010  2011  2012 2013 2014a 
Total revenue 27.2  26.0 25.6 24.7 23.6 27.2  
 Current revenue 23.0 23.4 23.0 22.4 22.2 26.1 
 Tax revenue 21.6 21.9 21.2 20.3 20.6 23.5 
 Income tax 8.0 8.6 8.2 7.6 7.6 9.6 
 Property taxes 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.7 
 Value-added tax (VAT) 5.6 5.9 5.9 5.9 5.6 6.6 
 Excise tax 5.2 4.6 4.2 3.9 4.4 4.4 
 Import duties 1.6 1.8 1.9 2.0 1.9 1.8 
 Other taxes and licences 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.4 
 Non-tax revenue 1.4 1.5 1.8 2.0 1.6 2.6 
 Rents and royalties 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
                                               
5 In order to participate in the exchange rate market, private persons may apply for a cambio  dealer 
licence with the Bank of Guyana; this  licence must be renewed annually. 
6 IMF (2014). WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 12 - 
 
   2009  2010  2011  2012 2013 2014a 
 Dividends from public enterprises 0.3 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.1 
 Other 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.7 1.2 2.5 
 Capital revenue 4.2 2.6 2.6 2.3 1.4 0.5 
 HIPC debt reliefb 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.4 
 Other grants 3.6 2.1 2.4 2.2 1.3 0.1 
Total expenditure 30.8  28.9 28.7 29.4 28.0 25.7  
Current expenditure  19.5 18.8 19.1 19.7 19.9 20.4 
Personal emoluments 6.3 6.2 6.0 6.0 6.3 7.1 
Pensions 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.9 2.2 2.3 
Other goods and services 6.3 5.8 6.4 5.9 6.1 5.5 
 Transfersc 5.3 5.1 5.2 6.8 6.5 6.8 
Interest payments 1.6 1.7 1.5 1.1 1.0 0.9 
 Domestic 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.4 0.3 0.2 
 External 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.7 
 Capital expenditure 11.4 10.2 9.5 9.7 8.2 5.3 
Current (primary) deficit/surplus 3.5  4.7 3.9 2.6 2.4 5.7  
Overall balance before grantsd -7.9 -5.5 -5.7 -7.1 -5.8 0.4 
Overall balance after grants -3.7  -2.9 -3.1 -4.7 -4.4 0.9  
Memorandum item       
Public enterprises overall balance before 
taxese 0.7 -0.2 -0.8 0.6 0.1 -0.6 
Central government total external debt 46.0 45.9 46.8 47.7 41.8 41.2 
Total public sector gross debt (end of 
period) 67.0 67.8 66.8 63.7 57.9 55.5 
a For the first half of the year. 
b Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt reli ef programme coordinated by the IMF, World Bank, 
and IADB. 
c Includes transfers to educational grants, scholarships, to local authorities, and contributions to local 
and international organizations. 
d Excludes both HIPC debt reli ef and other external grants. 
e Represents the overall balance of all publicly owned non-financial enterprises, including capital 
expenditures but excluding transfers an d taxes paid to central government. 
Source: Guyana Bureau of Statisti cs online information. Viewed at: http://www.statisticsguyana.gov.gy ; and 
information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
1.12.  Guyana maintained a primary surplus at the Central Government level throughout the 2009-
14, while the overall balance was in deficit between 2009 and 2013. The Central Government's 
overall accounts improved in 2013. For the first half of 2014, a surplus was recorded in the financial operations excluding grants; the authorities attribute this to lower capital expenditure. While external official transfers in the form of grants (including debt-relief initiatives) as well as 
loans (including PetroCaribe's disbursements
7) have played an important role in  improving public 
finances in Guyana, the contribution of the grants and loans has been diminishing in recent years. In 2014, they accounted for around 2% of the Central Government's total revenue, down from 
15% in 2009.  
1.13.  Nonetheless, it would appear that fiscal re form measures will still be necessary to support 
fiscal consolidation over the medium term. These would require inter alia : setting up a 
strengthened medium-term policy framework anchored  on the public debt ratio, with a view to 
maintaining current tax revenues (around 23.5% of  GDP in the first half of 2014) and reducing 
transfers; and containing expenditures on central government wages and other goods and services over the medium term. The Government’s fiscal consolidation plan is to gradually reduce the non-
financial public sector deficit to 3.5% of GDP by 2018. The envisioned measures include reducing 
expenditures on wages, goods and serv ices, and transfers as a share of GDP.
8 
1.14.  The impact of public enterprises in the public sector's fiscal balance during 2009-14 was 
mixed. In 2014, public enterprises made a negative contribution to public finances equivalent to 
0.6% of GDP. To redress this situation, it is re quired to advance a far reaching reform of state-
owned enterprises, including the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and Guyana Power and 
                                               
7 PetroCaribe is an alliance between the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and 14 Caribbean countries to 
purchase oil from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuel a under preferential payment conditions. Viewed at: 
http://www.petrocaribe.org/. 
8 IMF (2014). WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 13 - 
 
  Light inc. (GPL), as well as streamline electricity tariffs and related subsidies, and restoring the 
financial viability of the National Insurance Scheme.9 
1.4  Balance of Payments 
1.15.  During the review period, the current a ccount of the balance of payments worsened, to 
record sizable deficits; in 2014, the deficit was estimated to have reached around 15% of GDP. This was mostly due to a large deficit in merc handise trade (Table 1.4). The services account 
deficit slightly decreased during the review period; it was estimated to have amounted to around 
5.6% of GDP, in 2014. Transfers, particularly re mittances by Guyanese workers abroad, remained 
an important positive contribution (9.6% of GDP in 2014) to the current account. 
1.16.  Gross official reserves stood at US$630.3 million at the end of September 2014, equivalent 
to around 3.5 months of imports of goods and services (compared with 3.9 months at end-2013).  
Table 1.4 Balance of payments, 2009-14 
(US$ million) 
 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014a 
Current account -230.6  -247.4  -372.2  -366.6 -425.4 -338.8  
Merchandise trade balance -411.2 -534.1 -641.4 -581.2 -471.4 -465.6 
   Exports (f.o.b.) 768.2 885.0 1,129.1 1,415.5 1,375.9 837.0 
   Imports (c.i.f.)b -1,179.4 -1,419.1 -1,770.5 -1,996.7 -1,847.3 -1,302.6 
Services trade balance -119.0 -84.1 -145.4 -204.6 -307.2 -179.9 
   Non-factor services (net) -102.1 -96.9 -136.1 -228.6 -335.7 -187.2 
   Factor services (net) -16.9 12.8 -9.3 24.0 28.5 7.3 
Unilateral transfers 299.6 370.8 414.6 419.2 353.2 306.7 
Capital and financial account 454.0  339.2  373.2  418.3 314.8 168.5  
   Capital transferc 37.2 27.1 30.1 29.3 7.3 2.6 
   Medium and long term capital 392.9 309.3 375.4 454.0 288.6 203.0 
      Public sector (net) 184.9 39.6 67.7 90.4 70.9 -9.2 
         Non-financial public sector (net) 92.4 89.1 146.6 243.5 160.3 81.6 
         Other (net)c 92.5 -49.5 -79.0 -153.1 -89.4 -90.8 
      Private sector (net)d 208.0 269.7 307.8 363.6 217.7 212.2 
   Short term capital 24.0 2.9 -32.3 -65.0 18.9 -37.0 
Errors and omissions 11.0 24.7 -16.0  -18.7 -8.9 35.9 
Overall balance 234.5  116.5  -15.0  32.9 -119.5 -134.3  
Financing -234.5  -116.5  15.0 -32.9 119.5 134.3  
Exceptional financing 37.0 38.4 40.4 42.6 45.5 30.8 
   Debt relief 4.5 4.3 3.6 3.3 2.8 0.7 
   Debt stock restructuring -0.6 -0.6 -1.0 -1.0 -1.0 -1.0 
   Debt forgiveness 33.1 34.7 37.7 40.2 43.6 31.1 
Change in net foreign assets of BoGe -271.5 -154.9 -25.4 -75.5 74.0 103.5 
Memorandum item:       
Imports of goods and services/GDP (%) 71.5 77.6 85.6 89.6 79.8 .. 
Exports of goods and services/GDP (%) 46.2 49.9 55.4 60.8 51.7 .. 
Gross official reserves 627.5 780.0 798.1 862.2 776.9 630.3 
Current account/GDP (%) -11.4 -10.9 -14.5 -12.9 -15.3 .. 
.. Not available. 
a January-September 2014. 
b The IMF balance-of-payments guidelines recommend the use of f.o.b. figure s for both exports and 
imports. The Guyanese authorities noted that work is ongoing to produce f.o.b. import figures for balance-of-payments purposes. 
c Includes Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative transfers. Data for 2014 includes US$12.5 million write-off 
of debt from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela 2008. 
d Includes inflows of fo reign direct investment. 
e A negative change corresponds to an increase in  international reserves of the Bank of Guyana. 
Source: Central Bank of Guyana, IMF (2014); and info rmation provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
                                               
9 IMF (2014). WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  1.5  Developments in Merchandise Trade 
1.5.1  Composition of trade 1.17.  In nominal value terms, exports increased by about 46% between 2009 and 2014, to reach 
US$1,147 million (Table A1.1). Guyana has historical ly been a large exporter of commodities such 
as mineral products, sugar, and rice. In 2014, Guyana's main export items included precious 
stones and metals (including gold) (27.2% of Gu yana's exports), followed by vegetable products 
(21.8%), prepared foodstuffs and beverages (21.0%) and mineral products (12.5%) (Chart 1.1). 
Compared with 2009, the share of precious stones and metals decreased substantially, while that 
of vegetable products and prepared foodstuffs and beverages increased.  
1.18.  The value of imports reached US$1,745 million in 2014, or 49% higher than that in 2009 
(Table A1.2). While imports of mineral products (mainly petroleum) increased substantially during 
the period, accounting for 32.9% of imports in 2014 (up from 27.9% in 2009), the composition of 
imports remained essentially unchanged. Mineral products and manufactures are the largest import items. Machinery and transport equipment' s share of imports declined slightly to 24.6%, 
compared with 26.9% in 2009. The share of prep ared foodstuffs and beverages and vegetable 
products remained largely unchanged between 2009 and 2014.  
1.5.2  Direction of trade 
1.19.  The direction of Guyana's exports chan ged significantly between 2009 and 2014, mainly 
reflecting a substantial increase in the share of the United States from 12.3% in 2009 to 26.9% in 2014 (Table A1.3 and Chart 1.2), and the reduction of exports to Canada from 33.9% of the total 
in 2009 to 8.4% in 2014. The EU's share in Guyana 's total exports decreased from 27.8% in 2009 
to 25.1% in 2014. The main market for Guyana's exports in 2014 was the United States. 
1.20.  The share of China as the origin of Guya na's imports increased from 5.0% in 2009 to 7.7% 
in 2014. During the same period, the share of the EU decreased slightly. The share of America has 
also declined slightly, but remained the largest among the origin of Guyana's imports, accounting 
for 72.7% of the total imports in 2014. The main source of imports continues to be the United States, followed by Trinidad and Tobago. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 15 - 
 
  Chart 1.1 Merchandise trade by main HS Sections, 2009 and 2014 
2009 2014
(a)    Exports and re-exports
Total: US$ 788millions
(b)    Imports
Total: US$ 1,175 millions Total: US$ 1,745 millionsTotal: US$ 1,147 millionsPrecious 
stones & 
metals
37.2%Other
3.8%
Vegetable 
products
15.1%
Precious 
stones & 
metals
27.2%
Prepared 
foodstuffs; 
beverages
20.8%
Wood & articles 
of wood
5.8%
Plastics
4.4%Mineral 
products
10.4%
Mineral 
products
27.9%
Chemical 
products
11.9%Base metals
4.9%Machinery
19.9%Other
7.7%
Mineral 
products
32.9%
Chemical 
products
7.5%Plastics
4.1%Base metals
5.4%Machinery
17.4%Other
8.1%Vegetable 
products
21.8%
Mineral 
products
12.5%Live 
animals
6.5%
Prepared 
foodstuffs; 
beverages
21.0%Wood & 
articles of 
wood
4.8%Other
6.2%
Transport 
equipment
7.0%Transport 
equipment
7.2%Live 
animals
6.9%
Live 
animals
2.6%Live 
animals
2.4%Vegetable 
products
4.2%Vegetable 
products
4.0% Prepared 
foodstuffs; 
beverages
7.4%Prepared 
foodstuffs; 
beverages
7.6%
Paper
2.6%Paper
3.1%
 
Source: WTO Secretariat estimates, based on UNSD Comtrade database. 
 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 16 - 
 
  Chart 1.2 Merchandise trade, by main origin and destination, 2009 and 2014 
2009 2014
(a)    Ex ports and re-ex ports
Total: US$788 million
(b)    Im ports
Total: US$1,175 million Total: US$1,745 millionVenezuela
0.3%
Total: US$1,147 millionCanada
8.4%Others
4.5% United States
12.3%
Venezuela
9.6%
Other 
America
11.4%Asia
4.3%
America
66.0%United States
26.9%
Other America
15.2%EU(28)
25.1%Other Europe
0.1%
Netherlands 
Antilles
0.2%Others
4.3%
America
63.4%
United States
29.1%
Other 
America
17.2%EU(28)
10.8%Other Europe
0.4%Japan
3.6%
China
5.0%Other 
Asia
6.1%Others
0.4%
United States
25.4%
Other 
America
13.7%EU(28)
8.3%Other Europe
0.7%Japan
3.4%
China
7.7%Other 
Asia
6.4%Others
0.8%
America
73.6%America
72.7%EU(28)
27.8%
Jamaica
5.9%
Trinidad & 
Tobago
20.1%
Venezuela
10.1%Europe
25.2%Europe
27.8%
Europe
11.3%Asia
14.7%Asia
17.5%
Europe
9.0%Jamaica
5.4%Canada
33.9%Asia
4.5%
Venezuela
6.9%Trinidad & 
Tobago
19.8%
Netherlands 
Antilles
3.7%
 
 
Source: WTO Secretariat estimates, based on data from UNSD Comtrade database. 
 
1.5.3  Foreign direct investment 
1.21.  Medium and long-term private capital inflows recorded a recent peak in 2012, but started to 
decrease in 2013. According to the UNCTAD, inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) amounted 
to around US$240 million in 2013, up from US$164 million in 2009; no data on FDI outflows from WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 17 - 
 
  Guyana were available.10 Information provided by the authorities indicate that inward FDIs were 
directed mainly to agriculture, tourism, information and communications, transport, education and other services, manufacturing (including wood products), and energy.  
                                               
10 UNCTAD (2014). WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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2  TRADE AND INVESTMENT REGIME 
2.1  General Framework 2.1.  Guyana’s general constitutional and lega l framework has remained largely unchanged since 
its last Trade Policy Review in 2009. The Constitution of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana is the 
supreme law; it was last amended in 2006. 
2.2.  The President of Guyana is the Head of St ate as well as the Head of the Government. The 
designated candidate of the political party obtainin g the largest percentage of the popular vote in a 
general election is automatically appointed as President. The President has the authority to 
prorogue or dissolve the unicameral National Asse mbly. When the National Assembly is prorogued 
or dissolved, a general election must be held within four months. The last general election was 
held in May 2015. 
2.3.  The President may appoint Vice-Presidents, a Prime Minister, and Ministers. The Prime 
Minister must be a member of the National A ssembly, and all but a maximum of four ministers 
must be its elected members. 
2.4.  The legislative power rests in the unicameral National Assembly consisting of 65 members 
elected on the basis of proportional representation . The main function of the National Assembly is 
to pass bills and amend the cons titution. Bills may be tabled by the Government or by any 
member of the Assembly; bills related to financial matters require recommendation or consent of 
the Cabinet.
1 Most matters in the National Assembly are determined by majority vote. 
2.5.  Bills passed by the National Assembly require the President's assent to become a statute law. 
If the President withholds assent, the bill must be returned to the Speaker with a message stating 
the reasons. If two thirds of the Assembly vote to  return the bill to the President, assent must be 
given within 21 days, unless the President dissolves the Assembly before that time.2 
2.6.  In regards to international agreements, Guyana operates a "dualist" system, under which 
international agreements take legal effect by transposing them into domestic legislation. 
International agreements that have not been incorporated into domestic laws cannot be invoked before the courts and have no di rect effect under Guyanese law. 
2.7.  Guyana's judicial system has 51 magistrate  courts and two specialised courts: a Land Court 
that handles all claims related to land registration and ownership, and a Commercial Court that deals with commercial claims. The Supreme Court of Judicature comprises a Court of Appeal and a 
High Court. The Court of Appeal has authority to  hear and determine appeals from the High Court 
(except for those when the High Court's decision is  final). Further appeals from the court of Appeal 
may be made to the Caribbean Court of Justic e, which is Guyana's last court of appeal. 
2.2  Trade Policy Objectives and Implementation 
2.8.  During the period under review, Guyana continued implementing its National Trade Strategy 
(finalized in 2003), which states that its trade policy priority should be to enhance market access (e.g. to identify export opportunities) for Guyanese exports.
3 It also states that Guyana should 
continue to advocate: special and differential treatm ent, benefits similar to those accorded to LDCs, 
and the maintenance and extension of preference s in trade negotiations. As a member of the 
Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Guyana coordinates its external trade policy within the 
CARICOM (section 2.3.2). 
2.9.  Overall responsibility for trade policy formulat ion in Guyana rests with the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs.4 In addition to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there are a number of other 
ministries/agencies responsible for formulating and implementing trade and related policies (e.g. 
                                               
1 Article 171, the Constitution; and Paragraph 53, the Standing Order of the National Assembly. 
2 Article 170, the Constitution. 
3 For the details of the National Trade Strategy, see WTO (2009). 
4 Following the general election in December 2011, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and International 
Cooperation were formally merged into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 19 - 
 
  Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce; the Guyana Revenue Authority; the Guyana 
Livestock Development Authority).5 Inter-institutional coordination between ministries on trade 
policy issues is undertaken by the National Advisory Committee on External Negotiation (NACEN), chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Repr esentatives from the public and private sectors, 
labour, and academia participate in the NACEN. The NACEN advises the Government and helps it 
to prepare for and participate in trade negotiations, including through input into the CARICOM Office of Trade Negotiation.
6 
2.10.   Legislation related to Guyana's trade policies include, in descending order of importance, 
the Acts of Parliament, regulations, and ministerial orders.7   
2.3  Trade Agreements and Arrangements 2.3.1  WTO 
2.11.  Guyana is an original Member of the WTO and grants at least MFN treatment to all its 
trading partners. It did not participate in the GATS extended negotiations on financial services or telecommunications. Guyana places importance on the effective functioning of the multilateral 
trading system, and sees it as the best safeguar d for the interests of small developing economies.
8 
Guyana's trade and related policies were reviewed in the Trade Policy Review Body in 2003 and 2009.   
2.12.  Largely as a result of its non-resident status, Guyana's participation in the WTO and the 
Doha Development Agenda (DDA) negotiations is limited. Six notifications were submitted to the WTO in 2010, mainly on the legislation of contingency measures; a number of other notifications are outstanding (Table A2.1). No notifications were submitted in 2013 and 2014.  
2.13.  Guyana looks forward to the completion of the DDA negotiations. In this process, Guyana 
advocates that the development needs of small economies, in particular special and differential treatment for developing and least developed count ries, should be maintained and strengthened.
9 
2.14.  During the period under review, Guyana was not a complainant or respondent, or involved 
as a third party, in the WTO Dispute Settlement Mechanism. Guyana considers that the cost of using the Mechanism is prohibitive,
10 and that the enhancement of third-party rights will help small 
economies like Guyana11 represent their interests more effectively.12  
2.3.2  Regional and bilateral agreements 2.15.  Guyana is an original member of the CA RICOM. It largely formulates and implements its 
trade and trade-related policies through the framew ork of the CARICOM. Guyana has the status of 
"more developed country" within the CARICOM.
13 The Council for Trade and Economic 
Development (COTED), representing membership of trade and development ministers from all 
member states, is responsible for the promotion of trade and economic development in CARICOM. 
2.16.  In January 2006, the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (the Revised CARICOM Treaty) 
created the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME)14 with an approach of phased 
                                               
5 See Sections 3 and 4 for the details of other bodies  that have jurisdiction over issues that affect 
Guyana's trade policies. The full list  of Guyanese government al agencies can be found on the website of the 
Office of the President. View ed at: http://www.op.gov.gy.  
6 The CARICOM Office of Trade Negotiations is an agency responsible for developing and maintaining a 
cohesive and effective framework for the coordination and management of CARICOM’s external trade 
negotiation resources and expertise. Vi ewed at: http://www.crnm.org/index.php. 
7 Guyanese laws are accessible electronically on the we bsite of Guyana Ministry of Legal Affairs. Viewed 
at: http://legalaffairs.gov.gy/information/laws-of-guyana .    
8 WTO document WT/MIN(13)/ST/34, 5 December 2013. 
9 WTO document WT/MIN(13)/ST/34, 5 December 2013. 
10 WTO document WT/TPR/S/218/Rev.1, 10 August 2009. 
11 Guyana was involved in some dispute settlement cases as a third party (DS265, DS266, and DS283). 
12 WTO document WT/MIN(13)/ST/34, 5 December 2013. 
13 Other CARICOM members that have the "more deve loped country" status are Barbados, Jamaica, 
Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.  
14 Bahamas and Haiti are not part of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 20 - 
 
  implementation.15 Guyana has been party to the CSME since 2006. Under the CSME, goods of 
CARICOM origin are exempted from customs duties (but they cannot circulate freely within the CARICOM
16), and services providers holding nationalit ies of CARICOM member states are free to 
move and establish businesses within CARICOM member states.  
2.17.  The CARICOM coordinates members' external trade policies with respect to third countries.17 
A common external tariff is applied to goods originating from non-CARICOM members.18 With 
respect to trade, the CARICOM negotiates with third countries on behalf of all CARICOM members 
as a whole. An individual CARICOM member may negotiate bilateral agreements with a third 
country; before conclusion of such an agreement, a notification to the CARICOM Secretariat is required. If such bilateral agreements involve ta riff concessions, a prior approval from the COTED 
is also required to proceed further in the negotiations. 
2.18.  Through its CARICOM membership, Guyana maintains six preferential trade agreements 
with other trading partners (Chart 2.1): the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU), as well as the free trade agreements (FTAs) between CARICOM and 
Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republ ic, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
19 
(Table A2.2). The negotiations between CA RICOM and Canada on an FTA are on-going. 
Chart 2.1 Reciprocal trade agreements, 2015 
 
Note: The CARICOM consists of 14 countries including Guyana; Bahamas and Haiti are the CARICOM 
members that opt out of the CSME.  
 The EPA is an agreement between the European Union and CARIFORUM (CARICOM plus the 
Dominican Republic).  
Source: WTO Secretariat. 
2.19.  Besides tariffs, the CARICOM covers othe r areas related to trade such as standards, 
competition, contingency measures, intellectual property, government procurement, and 
harmonization of economic policies. The CARICOM ha s a number of regional agencies to administer 
policies and coordinate practices among its members; these include the CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ ), and the CARICOM Competition Commission.  
2.20.  Guyana maintains a bilateral free trade agreement with Brazil. As at the end of 2014, 
95.6% of Guyanese tariff lines were duty-free for goods of Brazilian origin. 
                                               
15 The texts of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas are available on the website of CARICOM Secretariat. 
Viewed at: http://www.caricom.org/jsp/community/revised_treaty-text.pdf .  
16 Free circulation of goods, irrespective of CARICO M origin or imported from third countries, within 
CARICOM is currently not possible, though the Revise d Treaty of Chaguaramas has relevant provisions 
(Article 239). 
17 Article 80, the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.  See also the Caribbean Community Secretariat's 
Office of Trade Negotiation online information. Viewed at: http://www.crnm.org/ .  
18 Each CARICOM member may apply certain except ions deviating from the common tariffs. For 
operation of the Common External Tariff, see Ar ticle 83, the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.  
19 The bilateral agreement between Guyana and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was largely 
superseded by the agreement between the CARICO M and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.  CARICOM-
Cuba CARICOM- 
Bolivarian 
Republic of 
Venezuela CARICOM-
Costa Rica Caribbean Community (CARICOM) 
and Caribbean Single Market and Economy 
(CSME)  Guyana-Brazil 
CARICOM- 
Dominican Republic Guyana 
CARICOM-
Colombia EPA 
CARICOM-EU WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 21 - 
 
  2.3.3  Other non-reciprocal arrangements 
2.21.  The Guyanese authorities indicate that Guya na is a beneficiary of the Generalised System of 
Preference (GSP) accorded by: Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Russian Federation, Switzerland, and the United States
20; Guyana also benefits from other unilateral 
preferences such as the US-Caribbean Basin Tr ade Partnership Act (CBTPA), and the Canadian 
Programme for Commonwealth Caribbean Trade, Investment and Industrial Cooperation (CARIBCAN).  
2.4  Investment Regime  
2.4.1  Business environment 2.22.  There have been no major changes in th e legal framework for business and investment in 
Guyana since its last Review in 2009. The main legislation covering this area include: the 
Companies Act, the Partnership Act, the Busine ss Name (Registration) Act, the Cooperative 
Societies Act, and the Investment Act. These lega l texts allow business ownership to take the form 
of a sole proprietorship, a partnership of any ki nd, an incorporated company, or a cooperative 
society. 
2.23.  There is no legislation regulating minimum or maximum ownership in a partnership or a 
joint venture, nor are there minimum capital requ irements for the establis hment of any type of 
company; a company's capital structure may comprise more than one class of shares. There are 
no restrictions on the nationality of shareholders. According to the authorities, irrespective of the 
business form, any type of enterprise may be wh olly owned by foreign or domestic investors. 
2.24.  All companies operating in Guyana must register with its Registrar of Companies. 
Registration fees are lower for companies incorpor ated in Guyana than those incorporated abroad. 
Locally-incorporated companies are subject to a flat fee of G$60,000 (around US$300), and a 
company incorporated abroad is subject to a f ee of G$80,000 (US$400) if its capital is below 
G$1 million, G$150,000 if it is between G$1 m illion and G$3 million, and G$300,000 (US$1,500) if 
it is greater than G$3 million. Businesses in the sectors requiring specific licences, for example, mining, telecommunications, forestry, and banking, must obtain operation licences from relevant 
competent authorities before commencing operations. 
2.25.  Businesses operating in Guyana are liable to pay corporation tax (or income tax for sole 
proprietorships), capital gains tax, property tax (s ection 3.3.1) and social security contribution. 
The total effective tax rate on profits is 32.3%, lower than the average of the Latin America and 
Caribbean region (48.3%); in terms of enforc ing contracts, Guyana was ranked 71 among 
189 countries/territories, above the regional average.
21 
2.4.2  Foreign investment regime 
2.26.  Foreign direct investment into Guyana is actively encouraged by the Government, which 
consider it as critical to its economic development. The authorities state that the objectives of Guyana's investment policies are to diversify th e economic structure away from an over-reliance 
on traditional sectors as well as to turn the Guyanese economy more private-sector-driven.  
2.27.  During the period under review, Guyana continued to implement the National Development 
Strategy
22, and a number of measures were adopted along the lines of the Government's 2005 
Report on Enhancing National Competitiveness (t he action plan for the National Development 
Strategy). With these measures, inter alia,  the Government aims to improve the low performance 
described by the World Bank's Doing Business Indicators.23 They included: lowering the 
corporation tax rates, restructuring property registration fees, drafting amendments to the 
Companies Act, and establishing a credit report system (section 4.5.2). 
                                               
20 Guyana was removed from the GSP beneficiary list of the EU in January 2014. 
21 World Bank Group Doing Business online information, "Ease of Doing Business in Guyana". Viewed at: 
http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/guyana/ . 
22 WTO document WT/TPR/S/218/Rev.1, 10 August 2009. 
23 World Bank Group Doing Business online information, "Ease of Doing Business in Guyana". Viewed at: 
http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/guyana/ .  WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 22 - 
 
  2.28.  The overall responsibility for Guyana’s investment policy rests with the Office of the 
President. Promotion of foreign and local investment is undertaken by the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), a semi-autonomous body under the Office of the President. GO-Invest 
also advises the Government on the formulation and implementation of national investment 
policies. Go-Invest provides facilitation services , assisting domestic and foreign investors with 
completing administrative formalities such as their commercial registration and application for land purchase or lease. 
2.29.  Under the Status of Aliens Act, foreign and domestic investors have the same rights to 
purchase and lease land. The Investment Act specifies that there should be no discrimination between private foreign and domestic investors, or among foreign investors from different countries.
24 The authorities maintain that foreign investors have equal access to opportunities 
arising from privatization of state-owned companies.  
2.30.  The Investment Act states that all fields of lawful economic activity are open to all investors 
except in inter alia  the mining sector, where foreign investment in small and medium-sized 
operations is restricted (section 4.2). Permits for such operations are given only to domestic 
persons. The Minister of Finance may exclude se ctors from investment subject to affirmative 
resolution of the National Assembly. The authorities indicate that sectors would only be excluded in 
exceptional circumstances. There have been no such exclusions during the period under review. 
2.31.  Enterprises may be wholly owned by foreign investors, and unrestricted repatriation of 
profits is allowed after tax obligations have been met, both for companies and net earnings of foreign personnel working in Guyana. The Investment Act limits the circumstances under which 
the Government may expropriate any enterprise or  the assets of an investor: legal procedures 
must be followed and adequate compensation paid. The authorities indicate that no foreign investment enterprises or their assets have b een expropriated since its previous review.  
2.32.  Disputes among investors or between in vestors and the Government can be settled by: 
arbitration under the Arbitration Act, resolution before the competent courts, or resolution by the International Centre for the Settlemen t of Investment Disputes (ICSID). 
2.33.  The authorities state that no trade-related investment measures (TRIMs) are applied in 
Guyana. The requirement for hiring at least 80% of local employment is applied equally to domestic and foreign investment projects. 
2.34.  Guyana concluded a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) and a double taxation agreement with 
Kuwait in 2010. Guyana maintains BITs with inter alia  China, Cuba, Germany, Indonesia, Kuwait, 
and the United Kingdom. Double taxation agreem ents are in force with Canada, the CARICOM, 
Kuwait, and the United Kingdom. The authorities state that negotiations of double taxation 
agreements with India and the Seychelles are still ongoing.  
 
                                               
24 Nationals from other CARICOM member states are co nsidered foreign; invest ment restrictions (e.g. 
those on small- and medium-sized mining operatio ns) are equally applied to CARICOM and non-CARICOM 
countries. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  3  TRADE POLICIES AND PRACTICES BY MEASURE 
3.1  Measures Directly Affecting Imports  3.1.1  Customs procedures and requirements 3.1.  The legislative and institutional framework for customs matters in Guyana has remained 
largely unchanged since the last Trade Policy Revi ew of Guyana in 2009. The Customs Act is the 
basic customs legislation, and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is responsible for customs procedures.
1 The Customs Act, and its associated regulati ons and orders are available to the public 
on the GRA website.2 
3.2.  During the period under review, Guyana adopted a number of measures such as a risk 
profiling system and wider deployment of cargo sca nners at ports with a view to simplifying and 
streamlining its customs procedures. According to the World Bank's Doing Business report, trading 
across borders in Guyana has the lowest cost in the Latin America and Caribbean region; however, 
the time required to complete all procedur es is longer than the regional average3 (Table 3.1). 
Table 3.1 Summary of procedures and docu ments for trading across borders, 2015 
  Guyana  Latin America and Caribbean 
average 
Number of documents required Import 7 7 
Export 6 6 
Days required to complete procedures Import 22 18.7 
Export 19 16.8 
Cost to complete procedures (US$ per container) Import 720 1,691.1 
Export 730 1,299.1 
Source: World Bank Group (2015), Doing Business 2015, Regional Profile 2015. Viewed at: 
http://www.doingbusiness.org/reports/~/media/G IAWB/Doing%20Business/Documents/Profiles/Reg
ional/DB2015/DB15-Latin-America-and-Caribbean.pdf . 
3.3.  All importers (and exporters) must regist er with the GRA and obtain a tax identification 
number (TIN) before engaging in imports (or exports); according to the authorities, it usually takes less than one day to complete the registration formalities.
4  
3.4.  All imports, commercial or non-commercial5, must be declared when entering Guyana. During 
the period under review, Guyana increased the maximum threshold of non-commercial imports to US$1,000 (up from US$500 in 2007) to which Customs may apply a simplified procedure involving 
the submission of a Simplified Customs Declaration; customs officers have discretion to reinstate 
the normal procedure depending on the classification  of the declared goods. It would appear that 
smuggling through fraudulent declarations of personal effects poses a challenge to customs duties 
collection, hence more scanners have been deploy ed to combat smuggling as well as to improve 
efficiency.
6 
3.5.  A declaration of commercial imports must be lodged in person (by either traders or their 
appointed agents such as customs brokers) at the GRA headquarters in Georgetown.7 The 
                                               
1 Other agencies such as the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit, the Guyana Livestock Department Authority 
(GLDA), and the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) are also present at the border as enforcement of anti-narcotic traffick ing, and SPS measures. 
2 Guyana Revenue Authority online information, "Customs Act 2005". Viewed at: 
http://www.gra.gov.gy/publications/tax-laws/121-customs-act-2005-2 .  
3 The time to complete procedures in the World Bank 's Doing Business Indicators includes the time not 
directly related to customs. It is me asured "from the vessel's arrival at th e port to the cargo's delivery at the 
warehouse". 
4 Guyana Revenue Authority online information,  "Procedure for Obtaining a TIN". Viewed at: 
http://www.gra.gov.gy/services -offered/registration-for-tin/p rocedure-for-obtaining-a-tin .  
5 Non-commercial imports include those of pers onal effects, or of small parcels by post. 
6 Guyana Revenue Authority press release, New CJIA  scanner catching ‘front-door’ tax cheats. Viewed 
at: http://www.gra.gov.gy/capital-gains-tax/what-is-capital-gains?id=98 .  
7 The electronic submission of declarations is not available. The authorities indicate that a project 
designed to allow importers to submit declarations elec tronically was launched in 2013 and is expected to be 
completed by the end of 2015. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 24 - 
 
  submission of a customs declaration before the cargo arrival (pre-arrival declaration) may be 
allowed. It usually takes one day for Customs to process a declaration, but it may take up to five days for a declaration concerning a large shipment of multiple items. During the period under review, the GRA provided a query facility, on its website, for importers to track the progress of 
their declarations under processing.
8 The authorities indicate that more than 60% of import 
declarations submitted in 2014 were processed and approved for release before the arrival of goods at the ports. They also indicate that the pr ocessing delays are mostly caused by incomplete 
import documents, and by importers' under-invoici ng caught by the GRA (section 3.1.2). The GRA 
also publishes its Customs-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) on its website.
9 
3.6.  Upon payment of customs duties and other internal taxes (section 3.1.5), importers then 
apply for release of imports from customs.10 Since the Revenue Protection and Risk Management 
Unit started its operation in 2009, physical inspections have not been required for each 
consignment of imports (as required before 2009) but are carried out on a random sampling basis determined by risk profiling. Physical inspection  must be conducted on high risk imports. The 
authorities note that among all the declarations in  2014, 11% of imports were inspected; if all the 
relevant documents are correct, the goods can be cleared from customs on the same day when they arrive. 
3.7.  For perishable imports, a permit for immediate delivery (PID) may be issued to speed up 
customs procedures;
11 it may be issued by the GRA ten days prior to the arrival of perishable 
imports upon lodging a bond for possible duties and taxes on the imports. With a valid PID, imports will be released for free circulation in Guyana after necessary sanitary and phytosanitary 
controls have been conducted.  
3.8.  The establishment of a single window for customs procedures is being discussed. However, 
the GRA is faced with financial constraints in this regard.  
3.9.  The use of customs brokers is voluntary. The authorities note that about 17% of import 
declarations (and 4% of export declarations) ar e currently handled by customs brokers, who must 
be licensed by the GRA and must be Guyanese citizens.
12 A customs broker licence is valid for a 
calendar year, and renewable. As at end-2013, there were 52 licensed customs brokers.  
3.10.  At the time of drafting this report, Guya na was in the process of accepting the Amendment 
Protocol of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA). A National Committee on Trade Facilitation was established on 9 April 2015 to coor dinate work needed for the implementation of 
the TFA. Guyana has not notified to the WTO meas ures that can be adopted when the TFA enters 
into force (Category A notification). Guyana does not have legal provisions on advance ruling.  
3.11.  There have been no changes to Guyana's appeal procedures against Customs' decisions 
since its last review. Importers that disagree with Customs' decisions concerning inter alia  
classification and duty rate/amount may bring disp utes to the Customs Tariff Tribunal. Importers 
may then refer the case to the Full Court of the High Court if they are not satisfied with the 
outcomes of the Tribunal. The High Court's decision is final. The authorities indicate that there has 
been no appeal since 2009.  
3.12.  Guyana does not have legal provisions on pre-shipment inspection. 
                                               
8 Guyana Revenue Authority online information,  "Customs Declaration Checker". Viewed at: 
http://www.gra.gov.gy/declaration-status .  
9 Guyana Revenue Authority online information, "Cus toms and Trade Administration: SOPs". Viewed at: 
http://www.gra.gov.gy/publications/customs-trade-administration-sops/35-customs-trade-administration-
sops.  
10 Importers are required to pay the customs duties determined by the GRA in order to clear imports 
from customs. Importers may dispute the customs valuation decision after the customs clearance. 
11 A permit for immediate delivery is also granted, upon request, in the case of importing emergency 
medicines or emergency food supplies. 
12 Guyana Revenue Authority online information, "Cus toms Policy No. 5 - Customhouse Broker". Viewed 
at: http://www.gra.gov.gy/customhouse-brokers/broker-licence .  WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 25 - 
 
  3.1.2  Customs valuation 
3.13.  Rules on customs valuation are provided in  Article 23 and Schedule V of the Customs Act, 
and remain unchanged since 2009. Transaction values, generally in terms of c.i.f. prices, are used as the basis for customs valuation. In case of doubt, the GRA may require further information, and 
may use other methods of valuation prescribed in  the WTO Agreement on Customs Valuation. The 
authorities consider that under-invoicing is the main problem in terms of customs valuation; however, since the Revenue Protection and Ri sk Management Unit under Customs became 
operational in 2009, under-invoicing has significantl y decreased. According to the authorities, 90% 
of declarations were accepted under the c.i.f. prices in 2014, up from 71% in 2008.  
3.14.  Guyana has not submitted notifications on its legislation, nor has it replied to the Checklist 
of Issues as required by the WTO Agreement on Customs Valuation. The authorities maintain that 
Guyana reserves its rights to use certain special and differential treatment provisions under the 
Agreement.
13 
3.1.3  Rules of origin 
3.15.  The rules of origin applied by Guyana have remained largely unchanged since 2009. Guyana 
does not maintain non-preferential rules of origin.14 Preferential rules of origin are applied to goods 
imported from other CARICOM countries as well as  from trading partners with whom the CARICOM 
has a free trade arrangement (section 2.3.2).  
3.16.  The coverage of preferential rules of or igin varies across different free trade agreements 
Guyana is party to. For example, in the CARICOM's preferential trade agreements with Colombia and with Cuba, rules of origin on imports into Guyana only apply to a limited number of goods 
listed in the agreements.
15 
3.17.  Generally, if goods are not wholly obtain ed or fully produced in a country subject to 
preferential rules of origin, imported materials from a third country must be substantially 
transformed to be eligible under the relevant preferential regime. Changes in tariff headings may 
be seen as substantial transformation. Bilateral cumulation is allowed, and the tolerance level of non-originating materials is generally 7% of the transaction value of goods; with respect to textiles 
and clothing, the tolerance level is 10% of the total weight of the material.
16 
3.18.  A CARICOM Certificate of Origin is required for imports claiming CARICOM origin for 
duty-free preference (section 3.1.4.3). 
3.1.4  Tariffs 
3.1.4.1  WTO bound tariffs 
3.19.  All tariff lines in Guyana are bound.17 The simple average bound tariff rate is 58.3%, more 
than four times higher than the simple averag e applied MFN rate (12.1% in 2014) (Chart 3.1). 
3.20.  The largest differences between the bound rates and the applied MFN rates on particular 
tariff lines are found among agricultural products, especially in vegetable products and prepared 
food. However, the ratio of the bound rate over th e applied rate is the largest for machineries and 
chemical products; for the latter, bound rates are more than seven-folds of the corresponding 
applied MFN rates (Table 3.3). 
                                               
13 WTO documents WT/LET/226, 12 June 1998; and G/VAL/2/Rev.24, 27 April 2007. 
14 WTO document G/RO/N/42, 10 December 2003. 
15 Table III.1, WTO (2009) 
16 See WTO (2009) for the details of Guyana's rules of origin. 
17 WTO online information, "Tariff profile: Guyana". Viewed at: 
http://stat.wto.org/TariffProfiles/GY_e.htm .   WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 26 - 
 
  Chart 3.1 Average applied MFN tariff an d bound rates, by HS Sections, 2014 
0102030405060708090100110
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21Per cent
01   Live animals & products  
02   Vegetable products
03   Fats & oils      
04   Prepared food, etc.
05   Mineral products
06   Chemicals & products07   Plastic & rubber
08   Hides & skins
09   Wood & articles
10   Pulp, paper, etc.
11   Textiles & articles
12   Footwear, headgear13   Articles of stones
14   Precious stones, etc.
15   Base metals & products
16   Machinery
17   Transport equipment
18   Precision instrument19   Arms & ammunition
20   Miscellaneous manufacturing
21   Works of art, etc.Average bound
(58.3%)
Average MFN applied
(12.1%)MFN applied Bound 
 
Source: WTO Secretariat, based on information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.1.4.2  Applied MFN tariffs 
3.21.  Guyana offers at least MFN treatment to all trading partners. 
3.22.  Guyana applies the CARICOM Common Ex ternal Tariff, with certain exceptions.18 All tariff 
rates are ad valorem . There are no tariff lines subject to tariff rate quotas (Table 3.2). Guyana's 
tariff nomenclature is based on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS), 
and further specified at the ten-digit level. The current nomenclature reflects the fourth 
amendment to the HS (HS 2007). The authorities indi cate that Guyana's 2015 nomenclature is to 
be based on the latest amendment of the HS (HS 2012). 
Table 3.2 Tariff structure, 2008 and 2014 
 2008 2014  
Bound tariff lines (% of all tariff lines) 100.0 100.0 
Total number of tariff lines 6,308 6,358 
Non-ad valorem tariffs (% of  all tariff lines) 0.0 0.0 
Lines subject to tariff quotas (% of all tariff lines) 0.0 0.0 
Duty free tariff lines (% of all tariff lines) 9.4 9.5 
Simple average applied MFN tariff (%) 12.0 12.1 
  WTO agriculture 22.5 22.7 
  WTO non-agriculture (incl. petroleum) 10.0 10.0 
Domestic tariff "peaks" (% of all tariff lines) a 8.8 9.0 
International tariff "peaks" (% of all tariff lines) b 28.7 29.0 
Overall standard deviation 13.2 13.5 
Nuisance applied rates (% of tariff lines) c 0.0 0.0 
a Domestic tariff peaks are defined as those exc eeding three times the overall average applied rate. 
b International tariff peaks are defined as those exceeding 15%. 
c Nuisance rates are greater than 0% but inferior or equal to 2%. 
Source: WTO Secretariat calculations, based on data provided by the authorities. 
3.23.  Changes to the tariff schedule are enacted (and promulgated) through a legislative 
procedure. They also require authorization of the CARICOM as Guyana has adopted the Common 
External Tariff (section 2.3.2). Proposals by rele vant stakeholders to change the tariff schedule 
                                               
18 WTO (2003). WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 27 - 
 
  must be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; they need to be discussed at the Council for 
Trade and Economic Development (COTED) of th e CARICOM before any ch anges are made. Once 
the changes are authorized by the CARICOM, th e National Assembly will approve the new tariff 
schedule.  
3.24.  During the period under review, applied MFN tariff rates remained largely unchanged; 
modifications to the tariff mainly reflect changes in nomenclature or tariff codes (e.g. split lines, or merge lines). The 2014 tariff comprises 6,358 lines at ten-digit level: 9.5% of all tariff lines are 
duty free and 55.8% have rates below 10% (Chart 3.2). No lines have "nuisance" rates. The 
simple average applied MFN tariff rate was 12.1% in 2014 (12.0% in 2008). Based on the WTO definition, the average applied MFN rate for agri cultural products was 22.7% in 2014, compared 
with 22.5% in 2008; for non-agricultural produc ts, the average was 10%, unchanged during the 
review period (Table 3.2). 
Chart 3.2 Frequency distribu tion of MFN tariffs, 2014 
(9.5%)(52.2%)
(3.6%)(5.7%)(18.7%)
(0.7%)(9.6%)
0102030405060708090100
05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,000
Duty free >0-5 >5-10 >10-15 >15-20 >20-25 >25Number of tariff lines Per centCumulative per cent
Number of lines (% of total)
 
Source: WTO Secretariat calculation, based on data provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.25.  In the 2014 tariff schedule, beverage, spirit  and tobacco are subject to the highest applied 
MFN rates, with their simple average rate at 43.3%, followed by fish and fisheries products (average at 28.8%) and animals and product thereof (average at 28.6%); beverage, spirit and tobacco as well as animals and product thereof had tariff peaks at 100%. Sugar and confectionary, 
and fruit, vegetables and plants are subject to a simple average applied MFN rate above 20% for 
each category, and have tariff peaks at 40% (T able 3.3). With regard to manufactured goods, 
clothing has the highest simple average applied MFN rate at 19.9%, followed by electric machinery 
(10.1%), and wood, pulp, paper and furniture (10%).  
Table 3.3 Summary of the tariff schedule, 2014 
 MFN Applied  
Description No. of lines Average 
(%) Range 
(%) Coefficient 
of 
variation 
(CV) Final 
bound 
average 
(%) 
Total 6,358  12.1 0 – 
100 1.1 58.3  
HS 01-24 1,148 24.8 0 - 100 0.9 92.5 
HS 25-97 5,210 9.3 0 - 70 1.0 50.8 
By WTO category      WTO Agriculture 1,051 22.7 0 - 100 1.0 99.8 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 28 - 
 
   MFN Applied  
Description No. of lines Average 
(%) Range 
(%) Coefficient 
of 
variation 
(CV) Final 
bound 
average 
(%) 
 - Animals and products thereof 150 28.6 0 - 100 0.7 100.0 
 - Dairy products 25 12.6 0 - 40 0.9 100.0 
 - Fruit, vegetables and plants 307 23.3 0 - 40 0.7 100.0 
 - Coffee and tea 29 17.4 5 - 40 0.8 100.0 
 - Cereals and preparations 134 17.4 0 - 100 0.9 100.0 
 - Oil seeds, fats and oils and their 
products 106 19.9 0 - 40 0.9 99.5 
 - Sugars and confectionary 23 25.4 5 - 40 0.6 100.0 
 - Beverages, spirits and tobacco 118 43.3 5 - 100 0.8 100.0 
 - Cotton 6 5.0 5 - 5 0.0 100.0 
 - Other agricultural products n.e.s. 153 9.3 0 - 40 1.3 98.7 
WTO Non-agriculture (incl. petroleum) 5,307 10.0 0 - 70 1.0 50.1 
 - WTO Non-agriculture (excl. 
petroleum) 5,281 10.0 0 - 70 1.0 50.1 
 - - Fish and fishery products 175 28.8 0 - 40 0.6 50.9 
 - - Minerals and metals 1,119 8.7 0 - 60 1.1 50.1 
 - - Chemicals and photographic 
supplies 1,008 7.4 0 - 40 0.7 50.1 
 - - Wood, pulp, paper and furniture 338 10.0 0 - 20 0.7 50.0 
 - - Textiles 639 7.7 0 - 30 0.7 50.0 
 - - Clothing 279 19.9 5 - 20 0.1 50.0 
 - - Leather, rubber, footwear and travel 
goods 180 9.8 0 - 30 0.7 50.0 
 - - Non-electric machinery 597 4.7 0 - 30 1.3 50.0 
 - - Electric machinery 266 10.1 0 - 45 0.8 50.0 
 - - Transport equipment 188 9.9 0 - 45 1.2 50.0 
 - - Non-agriculture articles n.e.s. 492 15.3 0 - 70 0.9 50.0 
 - Petroleum 26 8.3 0 - 25 1.0 50.0 
By HS Section       01 Live animals & prod. 332 28.2 0 - 100 0.7 77.4 
 02 Vegitable products 385 20.9 0 - 40 0.8 100.0 
 03 Fats & oils 64 29.2 5 - 40 0.5 97.7 
 04 Prepared food etc. 367 25.0 0 - 100 1.1 97.3 
 05 Minerals 188 7.0 0 - 25 0.8 50.0 
 06 Chemical & prod. 939 7.0 0 - 40 0.8 52.1 
 07 Plastics & rubber 245 8.6 0 - 30 0.7 50.0 
 08 Hides & skins 80 10.5 5 - 20 0.7 56.4 
 09 Wood & articles 134 10.8 0 - 20 0.5 50.0 
 10 Pulp, paper etc. 180 8.2 0 - 20 0.8 50.0 
 11 Textile & articles 905 11.1 0 - 20 0.7 51.4 
 12 Footwear, headgear 60 16.1 0 - 20 0.4 50.0 
 13 Articles of stone 186 10.3 0 - 25 0.7 50.0 
 14 Precious stones, etc. 62 29.9 0 - 60 0.8 52.3 
 15 Base metals & prod. 716 7.4 0 - 20 0.7 50.0 
 16 Machinery 881 6.5 0 - 45 1.2 50.0 
 17 Transport equipment 199 9.9 0 - 45 1.2 50.0 
 18 Precision equipment 235 13.5 0 - 50 1.1 50.0 
 19 Arms and ammunition 24 40.2 0 - 70 0.7 50.0 
 20 Miscellaneous manufacturing 168 15.0 0 - 20 0.4 50.0 
 21 Works of art, etc. 8 20.0 20 - 20 0.0 50.0 
Source: WTO Secretariat, based on information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.26.  There are 16 lines for which applied MFN rates exceed their corresponding bound rates 
(Table 3.4); the products concerned include precious metals and their products, and firearms and ammunition. The authorities indicate that this situation will be rectified in Guyana's 2015 MFN 
schedule.  
Table 3.4 Tariff lines where MFN ra tes exceed WTO bound rates, 2014 
HS code Description MFN rate Bound rate 
7114110000 Articles of silver, whether or not plated or clad 60 50 
7114190000 Articles of other precious me tals, whether or not plated 60 50 
7114200000 Articles of base metal clad with precious metal 60 50 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 29 - 
 
  HS code Description MFN rate Bound rate 
7116100000 Articles of natural or cultured pearls 60 50 
7116200000 Articles of precious or semi-precious stones 60 50 
9302000000 Revolvers and pistols, other th an those of heading 93.03 or 
9304.00.00 70 50 
9303100000 Muzzle-loading firearms 70 50 
9303200000 Other sporting, hunting or target-shooting shotguns 70 50 
9303300000 Other sporting, hunting or target-shooting rifles 70 50 
9303909000 Other firearms 70 50 
9304000000 Other arms (for example, spring, air or gas guns and 
pistols, truncheons), excluding those of heading 9307.00.00 70 50 
9305100000 Parts and accessories of revolvers or pistols 70 50 
9305210000 Shotgun barrels 70 50 
9305290000 Other parts of shotguns or rifles 70 50 
9305910000 Parts of military weapons of heading 93.01 70 50 
9305990000 Other parts of military weapons 70 50 
Source: WTO Secretariat, based on the informat ion provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.1.4.3  Tariff exemption and adjustments 
3.27.  Guyana has a scheme that grants duty exemptions on selected manufactured and 
agricultural imports originating from non-CARICOM trading partners.  Partial exemptions are set 
out in Part III(A) of the First Schedule to the Customs Act, which offers lower rates than the applied MFN rates to eight groups of products, such as vitamins, non-iron/steel pipes and fittings, consumable metallurgical chemicals and reagents, and protective clothing and protective 
equipment; full exemptions are applied to goods listed in Part III(B). Tariff exemptions are used as 
an incentive for investment in Guyana (sections 2.4.2 and 3.3.1). According to the authorities, most of exemption requests concern used vehicles. 
3.28.  Guyana's tariffs may be modified temporarily for up to six months without going through 
legislative procedures; authorization from the CARICOM is required for temporary tariff adjustments. The authorities state that temporary tariff adjustments have not been implemented 
as the duty exemption scheme has already provided enough policy flexibilities.  
3.1.4.4  Preferential tariffs 3.29.  Preferential tariffs are applied to impo rts from other CARICOM countries and Guyana's 
trading partners with whom the CARICOM has a free trade arrangement (section 2.3.2 and 
Table A2.2).
19 The simple average rates of preferential  tariffs are substantially lower than the 
simple average applied MFN rate (12.1%) (Table 3.5). 
Table 3.5 Summary of pr eferential tariffs, 2014 
 MFN Preferential tariffs 
 average Brazil CARICOM Costa Rica EPA 
 (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) 
Total 12.1  0.3 0.0 0.0 5.3  
HS 01-24 24.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 7.0 
HS 25-97 9.3 0.3 0.0 0.0 4.9 
By WTO category      
WTO Agriculture 22.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 6.4 
 - Animals and products thereof 28.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 6.8 
 - Dairy products 12.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
 - Fruit, vegetables and plants 23.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 10.9 
 - Coffee and tea 17.4 0.6 0.0 0.0 2.9 
 - Cereals and preparations 17.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 3.1 
 - Oil seeds, fats and oils and their Products 19.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 10.6 
 - Sugars and confectionary 25.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7 
 - Beverages, spirits and tobacco 43.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 
 - Cotton 5.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
 - Other agricultural  products n.e.s. 9.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.5 
WTO Non-agriculture (incl. petroleum) 10.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 5.1 
 - WTO Non-agriculture (excl. petroleum) 10.0 0.3 0.0 0.0 5.1 
                                               
19 The free trade arrangement between the CARICOM an d the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela does not 
provide preferential tariff rates for imports from the Bolivarian Repu blic of Venezuela. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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   MFN Preferential tariffs 
 average Brazil CARICOM Costa Rica EPA 
 (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) 
 - - Fish and fishery products 28.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 8.1 
 - - Minerals and metals 8.7 0.2 0.0 0.0 4.1 
 - - Chemicals and photographic supplies 7.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 2.0 
 - - Wood, pulp, paper and furniture 10.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.2 
 - - Textiles 7.7 0.3 0.0 0.0 4.9 
 - - Clothing 19.9 0.7 0.0 0.0 16.0 
 - - Leather, rubber, footwear and travel goods 9.8 0.3 0.0 0.0 6.3 
 - - Non-electric machinery 4.7 0.2 0.0 0.0 1.6 
 - - Electric machinery 10.1 1.6 0.0 0.0 6.0 
 - - Transport equipment 9.9 1.6 0.0 0.0 7.4 
 - - Non-agriculture articles n.e.s. 15.3 0.1 0.0 0.0 9.2 
 - Petroleum 8.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.3 
Note: No data were available for preferential rates for Colombia and the Dominican Republic. 
Source: WTO Secretariat estimates, based on data provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.30.  Imports from other CARICOM members, as well as from Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, and 
the Dominican Republic are duty free across the tariff schedule.  
3.31.  Under a bilateral free trade agreement with Brazil, in 2014, 96.6% of Guyanese tariff lines 
were duty free on imports from Brazil. The simple average applied tariff on imports from Brazil is 
0.3%: duties are applied to non-agricultural products, with a simple average of 1.6% on electric machinery and on transport equipment, 0.7% on cl othing, 0.3% on leather, rubber, footwear and 
travel goods, and 0.2% on textiles.  
3.32.  The simple average tariff on imports fr om the EU under the EPA between CARIFORUM and 
the EU is 5.3%. Clothing is subject to the high est tariffs with a simple average rate of 16%, 
followed by fruit, vegetables and plant (10.9%), and oil seeds, fats and oils and their products 
(10.6%). 65.4% of lines were duty free on imports from the EU in 2014. 
3.1.5  Internal taxes and other charges collected at the border 
3.1.5.1  Internal taxes 
3.33.  During the review period, there were no changes to internal taxes on imports collected at 
the border; the value-added tax (VAT), excise tax, environmental tax, and stamp duties are 
applied to certain imports. In 2013, the total of tariff duties and internal taxes collected at the 
border amounted to 45.2% of Guyana's total tax revenue (Table 3.6). 
Table 3.6 Duties and taxes collected at the border, 2009-13 
(G$ million) 
 2009  2010  2011  2012 2013  
Tariffs  6,804.4 8,301.8 9,863.8 11,560.8 11,865.7 
Value-added tax 11,927.9 14,876.8 17,996.4 19,296.5 20,035.7 
Excise tax 19,392.2 18,935.2 19,077.4 19,605.3 24,147.4 
Environmental tax 674.0 776.8 1,014.1 1,070.9 1,071.7 
Stamp duties 12.8 14.8 18.3 20.9 22.9 
Total 38,811.3  42,905.4  47,970.0  51,554.4 57,143.3  
% of total tax revenue 43.6 42.5 43.1 43.6 45.2 
Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.34.  The VAT is applied equally to domestically -produced goods and services and imports, at a 
general rate of 16%; zero-rated goods are listed in Schedule I to the VAT Act. Zero-rated VATs are applied to some locally-produced products but not to their imported equivalents, namely: jams, 
jellies, and peanut butter; fresh chilled or frozen pork, beef, shrimp, mutton, fish, and salted fish 
(not canned); peanuts and cashew nuts; bed sheets, pillow cases, towels, rags, curtains, handkerchiefs, rugs, mats, table covers, shelf co vers, blankets, and ribbons; sand, stone, lumber, 
or similar materials of a type and quality used for construction, but not including items containing WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 31 - 
 
  imported materials except concrete blocks and plywood; and garments. 20 Furthermore, zero-rated 
VATs are applied to imports of raw materials if they are used in the production of goods when at least 50% of their production is subsequently exported. 
3.35.  The excise tax is applied to alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, petroleum products, and 
motor vehicles. The tax rates vary from 3% (on gas oil) to 100% (on tobacco products). The 
excise tax on temporary imports may be waived by the Commissioner-General of the GRA provided that a deposit with the Commissioner-General is made.
21  
3.36.  Both the VAT and the excise tax are levied  on the value of goods; for imports, they are 
based on the c.i.f. value plus other taxes and charges. 
3.37.  An environmental tax is imposed on any non-returnable metal, plastic, glass or cardboard 
containers of beverages imported into Guyana at a rate of G$10 per unit of containers. The tax is 
not levied on equivalents for domestically-produced beverages. The authorities note that importers 
may have the environmental tax refunded if the containers are collected and exported. In May 2013, the Government proposed a Customs Amen dment Bill which included reforming the 
environmental tax, but the Bill was no t approved by the National Assembly. 
3.1.5.2  Other charges 3.38.  Guyana does not impose any other charges on imports except for warehouse rent and 
charges.
22 The authorities indicate that the rent and charges are intended to cover the cost of 
warehouse services provided. 
3.1.6  Import controls 3.39.  According to the authorities, Guyana's import control regime (including prohibition, 
restriction and licensing) remained largely unchanged during the period under review. 
3.1.6.1  Import prohibitions and restrictions 3.40.  As set out in the Customs Act, Guyana imposes import prohibitions on the grounds of, inter 
alia, public health, public order and safety, public morality, and international obligations. 
Prohibited imports into Guyana are listed in the Second Schedule (Part I) of the Customs Act. The Minister of Finance may amend the Schedule by orders. The Schedule has remained unchanged 
since Guyana's previous TPR in 2009 (Table 3.7).
23 
Table 3.7 Import prohibitions under the Customs Act 
Product Rationales 
Counterfeit and substand ard coins Public order 
Food unfit for human consumption Public health 
Indecent printed articles Public morality 
Infected cattle, sheep or other animals, or  their carcasses, hides, skins, horns, 
hoofs, and other parts To prevent the introduction 
or spread of any 
communicable disease 
Matches containing white and yellow phos phorous Technical regulation (due to 
health problems) 
Goods that, if sold, would be liable to  forfeiture under th e Merchandise Marks 
Act, and goods manufactured outside Guyana  that do not carry an indication of 
the country in which they were made (unless deemed otherwise by the 
Commissioner General of the GRA) Trade Marks legislation 
Prepared opium and pipes Public health 
                                               
20 In the context of Guyana's previous review, the authorities indicated that this was a continuation of 
consumption tax exemption for some locally-produced products. On 1 January 2007, the consumption tax, services tax, hotel accommodation tax, entertainment tax, purchase tax and telephone tax were abolished and replaced by the valued-added tax. 
21 In this circumstance, the temporary imports must be re-exported within thre e months since imported. 
22 The warehouse rent and charges are applied to goods that are stored in the customs warehouses 
longer than 30 days.  
23 Guyana Revenue Authority online information, "I mports – Commercial – General Items". Viewed at: 
http://www.gra.gov.gy/imports/commercial/general-items .  WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 32 - 
 
  Product Rationales 
Shaving brushes manufactured in or exported from Japan Technical regulation (due to 
past cases of lockjaw) 
Fictitious stamps and any di e, plate, instrument or materials capable of making 
any such stamps Public order 
Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.41.  Under the Trade Act, imports of ozon e-depleting substances (including equipment 
containing hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) or requiring HCFCs for its continued operation) are 
prohibited except three types of ozone deplet ing substance (ODS) gases (HCFC-22, HCFC-141b, 
and chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-12); imports of the allowed ODS gases are subject to import quotas. 
Quotas are administered by the National Ozone Ac tion Unit, and allocated to registered importers 
on an annual basis. The Trade Act also prohibits imports of motor vehicles with tinted glass. 
3.42.  Imports of 23 pesticides are prohibited under the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control 
Act. As stipulated in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, 
imports/exports of narcotics are prohibited. Import s of hazardous wastes are prohibited under the 
Basel Convention to which Guyana is a signatory. 
3.43.  Import restrictions are implemented for the reasons of public health, public safety, public 
order and morality, and the prevention of smugg ling. Imports of restricted products are not 
allowed unless approvals/permits from relevant competent authorities are granted. When clearing customs, the approval/permit must be presente d to a customs officer. The Second Schedule 
(Part II) of the Customs Act lists products subject to import restrictions (Table 3.8); the Schedule 
has remained unchanged since Guyana's previous Review. 
Table 3.8 Import restrictio ns under the Customs Act 
Product  Permit issuing authority 
Arms and ammunition The Office of the 
Commissioner of Police, and Ministry of Home Affairs 
Cocaine, heroin, cannabis, cannabis inca, choras, and preparations thereof Chief Medical Officer of 
Guyana 
Imitation banknotes Guyana Revenue Authority 
Spirits and wine, unless in aircraft or in  ships of 27.3 tonnes burden at least, 
and in casks or other vessels of 41 litres at least, or in glass or stone bottles 
packed in cases, or in demijohn, each case of demijohn containing not less 
than 41 litres Guyana Revenue Authority 
Tobacco, cigars, cigarillos or cigarettes unless in aircraft or in ships of 90.1 
tonne burden at least and in whole and complete packages each containing not 
less than 9.1kg. net weight Guyana Revenue Authority 
Tobacco extracts, essences or other concentrations of tobacco, or any 
admixture thereof, tobacco stalks and tobacco stalk  Guyana Revenue Authority 
Exotic fish, except with licenc e by the Chief Agricultural Offi cer Chief Agricultural Officer 
Certain vehicles imported by a Guyanese  citizen returning home or a person 
importing or receiving the vehi cle as a gift from overseas Guyana Revenue Authority 
Cinematographic films Responsible minister for the 
time being 
Printed matter considered by the Minist er responsible for public safety and 
order, to be prejudicial to the defence of  Guyana, public safety or public order Responsible minister for the 
time being 
Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.44.  Imports of endangered species of fauna and flora protected under the Convention on 
International Trade in Endangered Species of W ild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are restricted and 
require permits issued from the Wildlife Management Authority under the Environmental Protection Agency.
24 Applications for permits must be accompanied by CITES certificates issued by exporting 
countries. 
                                               
24 When considering requests to import animals protected under CITES, the Wildlife Management 
Authority must consult the Guyana Livestock Development Authority prior to its decision of permit issuance.  WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 33 - 
 
  3.45.  Importers of pesticides and controlled chemic als must register with the Pesticides and Toxic 
Chemicals Control Board. Import permits for restricted chemicals and pesticides are issued only to registered importers. 
3.1.6.2  Import licensing 
3.46.  Guyana's import licensing regime has remained largely unchanged since its last TPR. Its 
latest notification on import licensing procedures was submitted to the WTO in October 2003.
25 
The licensing requirements are applied to imports from all extra-CARICOM trading partners.  
3.47.  Guyana maintains automatic import licensing requirements for statistical purposes. They 
cover, inter alia , agricultural products, petroleum oils, fertilizer, consumer chemicals, and transport 
vehicles. Non-automatic licensing requirements apply to rice, cane or beet sugar, and arms and ammunition (Table 3.9). The authorities state that non-automatic licensing requirements are 
maintained for the purposes provided in the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures. 
3.48.  Import licences (automatic and non-automa tic) are issued by the Licensing Section of the 
Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce (MTIC). Prior to applying for a licence, irrespective of 
automatic or non-automatic, importers must obtain endorsement (or a no-objection permit for 
automatic-licensing)
26 from the relevant sector-specific authorities (e.g. Ministry of Agriculture, 
Ministry of Health, Guyana Sugar Corporation, or Guyana Rice Development Board). The 
authorities indicate that under normal circumstance the MTIC processes licence applications within 
48 hours.  
Table 3.9 Import licensing regime, 2015 
Product  Endorsing agency 
Automatic licensing  
Meat products  Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of 
Health (Guyana Livestock Development 
Authority)  
Live plants and flowers;  fresh and dried fruit  Ministry of Agriculture (National Plant 
Protection Organization) 
Wheat or meslin flour  Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of 
Health (Government Analyst Department)   
Petroleum oils, other than crude  Guyana Energy Authority 
Flourine, chlorine, bromine an d iodine; hydrogen chloride, 
chlorosulphuric acid, sulphuric acid, nitric acid and other inorganic 
acids  Office of the Commissioner of Police and 
Government Analyst Department 
Organs, blood, medicaments and other pharmaceuticals  Government Analyst Department 
Fertilizers  Ministry of Agricult ure and Government 
Analyst Department 
Perfumes, toiletries, soap, etc.  Government Analyst Department 
Cinematographic film  Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport 
(Office of the Perm anent Secretary) 
Transmission apparatus, ra dios, etc.  National Frequency Management Unit 
Aircraft and space craft  Civil Aviation Department  
Fats and oils  Governme nt Analyst Department 
Non-automatic licensing  
Rice  Guyana Rice Development Board 
Cane or beet sugar, su crose in solid form  Government Analyst Department and 
Guyana Sugar Corporation  
Arms and ammunition The Office of the Commissioner of Police, 
and Ministry of Home Affairs 
Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.49.  The MTIC charges no fees related to issuin g import licences; administrative charges may be 
imposed by relevant endorsing agencies and the rates vary across agencies. Import licences are 
not transferable. 
                                               
25 WTO document G/LIC/N/3/GUY/2, 28 October 2003. 
26 No-objection permits are issued unless the imports co ncerned fall into goods re stricted or prohibited 
from imports. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  3.1.7  Contingency measures 
3.50.  Guyana does not have domestic legislation with respect to contingency measures, i.e. anti-
dumping, countervailing, and safeguards.27 In 2010, the authorities notified to the WTO that 
Guyana had taken no anti-dumping or countervailing action; they did not anticipate taking any 
such measures in the foreseeable future.28  
3.51.  The authorities are of the view that main taining policy space between the applied and the 
bound tariff rates is the most efficient and affordab le measure due to the financial burden over any 
anti-dumping/countervailing proceedings. Regard ing imports from other CARICOM members, the 
authorities indicate that if they need to react to import prices that are lower than the price 
normally charged the home market, or to counter the effect of subsidies in exporting countries, they will refer the case to the CARICOM Competition Commission. 
3.52.  The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas specifies that CARICOM members should harmonize 
among themselves their laws and administrative practices with respect to anti-dumping and countervailing measures. A possible model anti-dum ping law is being discussed at the CARICOM 
level. 
3.1.8  Technical regulations and standards 3.53.  Guyana's framework for standards and technical regulations has remained largely 
unchanged since its previous review. There are 22 technical regulations in force (Table 3.10), 
among which two were established during the period under review. Guyana's latest notification to the WTO concerning technical regulations was made in 2005.  
3.54.  The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) is the sole agency responsible for 
developing national standards and the enquiry poin t of TBT issues in the context of the WTO.  
3.55.  Guyana's national standards are formulated by a GNBS technical committee, which 
coordinates inputs from stakeholders.
29 Once a "committee draft" is finalised, it will be published 
on the GNBS website for public consultation and comments for a period of two months.30 If 
comments are received, the draft will be reviewed  by the technical committee. Subsequently, it 
will be forwarded to the National Standards Council (the GNBS's decision-making body) for 
approval. The authorities state that the GNBS make extensive references to international 
standards in the process of formulating standard s. As at end-March 2015, there were 531 national 
standards, compared with 434 in 2009.31 According to the authorities, approximately 80% of 
Guyanese standards were aligned with international standards, and 3% were developed to suit 
Guyana's situation.  
3.56.  The CARICOM Regional Or ganization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) is mandated to 
establish and harmonize standards and technical regulations within the CARICOM members.32 
These standards and technical regulations are draf ted by special committees within the CROSQ. 
Participation in the committees is open to all interested parties. Standards and technical regulations adopted by the CROSQ
33 also require approval from the Council for Trade and 
Economic Development (COTED) of the CARI COM. CARICOM countries may transpose the 
community standards and technical regulations into national standards and technical regulations through domestic legal procedures. Currently, 17% of Guyanese standards in force are adopted from the community standards. 
                                               
27 WTO documents G/ADP/N/1/GUY/1, G/SCM/N/1/GUY/1, G/SG/N/1/GUY/1, 20 April 2010. 
28 WTO documents G/ADP/N/193/GUY, G/SCM/N/202/GUY, 22 March 2010.  
29 Guyana National Bureau of Stan dards online information, "Standardi sation Department". Viewed at: 
http://www.gnbsgy.org/index.php/ departments/standardisationdept .  
30 Guyana National Bureau of Standa rds online information. Viewed at: 
http://www.gnbsgy.org/index.ph p/standard-for-public-comments .  
31 Guyana National Bureau of  Standards (December 2014).  
32 Detailed functions of CROSQ can be found at https://www.crosq.org/ .  
33 Adoption is decided by the Council of CROSQ, comp rising the executive heads of national standards 
bodies of CARICOM countries. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  3.57.  Most of Guyana's national standards are vol untary. If compliance with a standard is deemed 
necessary for the health and safety of consumer s, the National Standards Council may recommend 
to the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Comme rce that the standard be made mandatory (i.e. 
becoming a technical regulation). The authorities maintain that only standards that are widely 
accepted are chosen to be made mandatory. As at end-2014, there were 22 technical regulations 
in force, most of which were on la belling requirements (Table 3.10).  
Table 3.10 Technical regulations, 2014 
Technical regulations Reference 
Specification for labelling of commodities – Part 1: General principles International standards 
Specification for labelling of commodities – Part 2: Labelling of pre-packaged goods International standards 
Specification for labelling of commodities – Part  3: Labelling of cigarettes CARICOM standards 
Specification for labelling of commoditi es – Part 4: Labe lling of footwear International standards 
Specification for labelling of commodities – Part 5: Labelling of furnitur e International standards 
Specification for labelling of commodities  – Part 6: Labelling of animal feed International standards 
Specification for labelling of commodities – Part 7: Labelling of household electrical 
appliances International standards 
Specification for labelling of commoditi es – Part 8: Labelling of cosmetics International standards 
Specification for labelling of commodities – Part 9: La belling of pre-packaged foods International standards 
Specification for labelling of commodities – Part 10: Labelling of equipment, items 
and parts containing ozon e depleting substances International standards 
Specification for labelling of commodities – Part 11: Labelling of brewery products 
(beer, stout, shandy and malta) CARICOM standards 
Specification for labelling of commoditi es – Part 15: Labe lling of garments International standards 
Specification for labelling of commodities – Part 16: Labelling of textiles International standards 
Specification for safety matches CARICOM standards 
Specification for gold ar ticles CARICOM standards 
Definition of terms used in the pneumatic tyre industry International standards 
Specification for pneumatic passenger  car tyres International standards 
General requirements for the operation of a laboratory Adapted International 
standards 
(the relevant 
international standards 
were modified to suit 
local conditions) 
Specification for new pneumatic tires for commer cial highway vehicles International standards 
Rice- Specification, sampling, tests and analysis CARICOM standards 
Specification for the storage, handling and transportation of liquefied Petroleum Gas 
Cylinders National standards 
Code of Practice for the storage of tyres, inner tubes and flaps International standards 
Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guyana, and WTO documents G/TBT/N/GUY/1-20.  
3.58.  The authorities state that market surveillance  is carried out to ensure that products sold in 
the domestic market are in compliance with technical regulations, particularly labelling requirements. For imports, document verification  is coordinated by the GRA. For imports, the 
GNBS may request a conformity certificate issued by an accredited  laboratory in the country of 
production. Conformity certificates must be written in English. 
3.1.9  Sanitary and phytosanitary requirements 
3.59.  During the period under review, severa l changes were made to Guyana's legislation 
concerning its sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and relevant institutions. In 2011, the Animal Health Act entered into force; this repe aled the Animal Movement and Disease Prevention 
Act. The Plant Protection Act also entered into force in 2011. The authorities consider that the new 
laws have streamlined and modernized Guyana's SPS regime, and brought it closer to its WTO 
obligations. 
3.60.  Two new agencies were established in 2011 to implement the laws: the Guyana Livestock 
Development Authorities (GLDA), responsible for animal health; and the National Plant Protection 
Organisation (NPPO), responsible for plant heal th. Both agencies are under the Ministry of 
Agriculture. 
3.61.  The National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) under the Ministry of 
Agriculture is Guyana's SPS enquiry point and national notification authorities to the WTO. During WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 36 - 
 
  the period under review, Guyana submitted its first SPS notification to the WTO; it was on the 
revision of Plant Protection Act and Plant Protection Regulation.34 Guyana is a member of the 
World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), 
and the Codex Alimentarius Commission. 
3.62.  Guyana's main legislation pertaining to SP S measures includes: the Food and Drug Act, the 
Animals Health Act, the Plant Protection Act, and their corresponding regulations. 
3.63.  The Ministry of Health has the overall re sponsibility for issues relating to human health, 
including food for human consumption. The Food and Drug Act specifies that imports of food, drug, 
cosmetic/ medical or veterinary devices are only allowed if the goods wholly conform to the law of the country where they are produced. Imports of these products require a certificate from the 
country of production, and are subject to impo rt licensing requirements (section 3.1.6.2). 
3.64.  Under the Animal Health Act, imports of  animals, animal products, and animal parts, 
regardless for human consumption or not, are no longer required to be from prescribed countries. Instead, import prohibitions/restrictions are applied only to those from disease-infected areas 
determined by the OIE. The authorities state that in order to maintain Guyana's status of "FMD-
free without vaccination", import restrictions are imposed on live cloven hoof animals from countries that are not certified FMD-free by the OIE. Guyana has not notified to the WTO its import 
prohibitions/restrictions based on SPS concerns; the authorities maintain that such measures have 
been communicated to the OIE on a regular basi s, and indicate their willingness to improve 
notifications to the WTO. 
3.65.  Imports of animals, animal products, an d animal parts are subject to import licensing 
requirements by the Ministry of Tourism, Indust ry and Commerce. A permit from the GLDA must 
be obtained before applying for import licences. When applying for an import permit, importers must produce a sanitary certificate from the relevant authorities of the exporting country. Permits 
from the GDLA are consignment specific and valid for up to six months. 
3.66.  An importer of plants must apply to the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) under 
the NAREI for a phytosanitary import permit; the importer must then register with the NPPO. As in 
the case of importing animals and animal parts and products, each consignment of plant imports 
must be accompanied with a phytosanitary certificate issued by the competent authorities in the exporting country within 14 days before arrival of the consignment in Guyana. 
3.67.  First-time imports of animals/plants or imports from a new source are subject to risk 
assessments conducted by the Ministry of Agricu lture. The authorities indicate that the risk 
assessments follow guidance given by internationa l standard-setting bodies. During the review 
period, Guyana carried out five risk assessments for first-time imports, concerning zea mays and 
seeds from India, bananas from Dominica, citrus from Trinidad and Tobago, pennisetum 
purpureum from the United States, and bananas and plantain from Israel. 
3.68.  Guyana has protocol agreements with Barb ados, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, 
Grenada, India, Israel, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States to allow imports of 
fresh fruits and vegetables. 
3.69.  The authorities consider that more technical assistance is needed to improve the 
transparency of Guyana's SPS regime. Most of  Guyana's SPS measures are defined in the 
implementing regulations of relevant acts; they are largely inaccessible electronically. Many SPS 
measures pre-date the creation of the WTO and have not been revised. There are four products prohibited from imports on the grounds of SPS consideration (Table 3.11).  
3.70.  All imports of animals (and animal parts/products) or plants are subject to inspection at the 
point of entry. Importers must notify the border office and apply for inspection 72 hours before the 
arrival of consignments. Inspectors at the border have the right to request samples for further 
analyses. Where samples are taken, the respective products may not be delivered to the importer 
until the analysis report is completed; the authorities indicate that it normally takes at least one week to complete a laboratory analysis report. No inspection fees are charged to importers. 
                                               
34 WTO document G/SPS/N/GUY/1, 4 June 2012. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 37 - 
 
  Table 3.11 Active SPS measures of import prohibition, April 2015 
Product Effective date 
Citrus material from the United States 8 June 1937 
Grapefruit from Trinidad, and of all citrus fr uits from the remainder of the Commonwealth 
West Indian Islands 6 February 1938 
Raw coffee 9 November 1937 
Rice seed (paddy) 17 August 1938 
Fresh soft fruits from Suriname 1997 
 Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.71.  Quarantine measures may be taken when an omalies are found during border inspections. A 
quarantine facility for live animals became operational in 2014. 
3.72.  Guyana does not have any legal provisions with respect to genetically modified organisms or 
hormone-fed animals.  
3.2  Measures Directly Affecting Exports 3.2.1  Export documentation and procedures 
3.73.  Procedures applied to exports are simila r to those applied to imports. Exporters must 
register with the GRA. Pre-departure declarations for exports must be submitted to the GRA.  
3.74.  With the operation of the risk manageme nt unit in 2009, not all exports are subject to 
physical inspection (except exports to the United States and the United Kingdom); the presence of 
a customs officer at exporters' premises when containers are loaded is no longer necessary. Export containers are subject to scanning based on risk profiling. When necessary, physical inspections are conducted on consignments that are deemed to have high risks. Implementations of risk 
profiling have reportedly reduced inspections of shipments.
35 
3.75.  There are some additional measures applied to exports of forestry products (section 4.1.3). 
There are also facilitation measures provided for exports of perishable goods. 
3.2.2  Export duties 
3.76.  Export duties are applied to all exports of  "non-manufactured goods" at a general rate of 
1.5%, except aquarium fish (5%) and seven other products, which are subject to product-specific 
rates (Table 3.12). In 2012, duties on exports to  the EU and to the Dominican Republic were 
eliminated due to the implementation of the EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement 
(EPA). Export duties are not applied to exports destined to other CARICOM members. 
Table 3.12 Export duties, 2014 
Items Rate 
Precious stones, other than cut and polished stones G$3.00/metric carat 
Bauxite, calcined G$0.45/tonne 
Bauxite, other G$0.45/tonne 
Unrefined cane sugar (tariff heading 17.01) G$1.00/tonne 
Greenheart, round piling and hewn G$0.29/m3 
Greenheart, sawn G$5.09/m3 
Molasses G$1.00/100 litre 
Aquarium fish 5% 
All other articles, n.e.s 1.5% 
Manufactured articles, not otherwise specified Free 
Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.77.  The following goods are exempted from the export duty: raw gold, cut or uncut and 
polished stones, agricultural products and their by-products (excluding cane sugar and molasses), 
forest products including timber and lumber (other than greenheart timber and lumber), fish 
                                               
35 World Bank Group (2015). WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 38 - 
 
  (including shark fins but excluding aquarium fish),  and shrimp. The share of export duties in total 
government revenue is negligible (Table 3.14). 
3.2.3  Export prohibitions, restrictions, and licensing 3.78.  Guyana imposes export prohibitions on good s that are subject to import prohibition; exports 
of rings and watches are also prohibited.
36 Exports of gold are restricted.  
3.79.  The list of products subject to export lic ensing under the Trade Act has not changed since 
Guyana's previous review. As in the case of import licensing, export licensing may be administered 
in either automatic licensing or non-automatic licensing. Automatic export licensing requirements 
are applied to products such as wheat flour. No n-automatic export licences are applied to goods 
including cane sugar in solid form, fertilizers, gold, jewellery of precious metal, and arms and ammunition. Non-automatic export licensing re quirements are imposed on the grounds of, inter 
alia, ensuring that domestic demand or demand in the preferential market is met, environmental 
protection, public safety, and revenue monitoring.  
3.80.  For products subject to export licensing re quirements, licences are mandatory for exports to 
non-CARICOM destinations; exports to other CARICOM members require export permits by specific 
agencies depending on the product. 
3.2.4  Export support and promotion 
3.81.  There were no changes to Guyana’s expo rt support and promotion measures during the 
period under review. Guyana continues to offer an export allowance for non-traditional exports to destinations outside the CARICOM. This enables exporters to deduct certain percentages of their export profit from their income tax payment. The actual amount of deduction depends on the 
proportion of their export sales to non-CARICOM countries to total sales; at least 10% of sales 
must be exported to qualify for the deduction (Table 3.13). 
Table 3.13 Export allowance, 2014 
% of export sales to total sales  % of export profit deductible from income tax 
10%-20% 25% 
20%-30% 35% 
30%-40% 45%
40%-50% 55% 
50%-60% 65% 
Above 60% 75% 
Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.82.  The VAT is zero-rated on imports of raw materials if they are used in the production of 
goods that are subsequently exported by a taxabl e person that exports at least 50% of all its 
products. 
3.83.  Export promotion falls in the purview of th e Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest). In 
this regard, GO-Invest's role include: providing exporters with information on trade opportunities in overseas markets; helping exporters promote their products in national and international trade 
missions and exhibitions; organising trade fairs in foreign countries; and collaborating with export 
organizations to help address trade-related issues.  
3.84.  Sector-specific export promotion activi ties are also undertaken by the New Guyana 
Marketing Corporation (New GMC) for non-traditional agricultural products, and the Forest 
Products Development and Marketing Council for forest products. Both provide services such as 
trade missions, market intelligence, advice on market opportunities, and other export-related 
services including assistance with labelling and packaging. The New GMC also has a one-stop 
brokerage desk to help exporters of non-traditional agricultural products prepare export 
documents. 
                                               
36 A ring and/or a watch worn by a passenger is not subject to export prohibition. See details in the 
Third Schedule to the Customs Act. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 39 - 
 
  3.85.  At the CARICOM level, export promotion and development activities are undertaken by the 
Caribbean Export Development Agency,37 which assists CARICOM members in discovering markets 
for their products, and provides financial assistance in the form of grants for marketing promotion.  
3.86.  While no free zones have been established, the Government is open to the idea of 
establishing such zones. Guyana has four industrial estates in operation (section 3.3.2). 
3.2.5  Export finance, insurance, guarantees 3.87.  There is no government institution in Guyana providing export finance, insurance or 
guarantee services. Export finance is available from  private banks, or from the Institute of Private 
Enterprise Development, a private-sector organization. 
3.3  Measures Affecting Production and Trade 3.3.1  Taxation and incentives 
3.88.  Direct taxes accounted for about 40% of Guyana's tax revenue during 2009-13 
(Table 3.14). Taxes collected at the border, including import/export duties and the VAT collected at the border, accounted for some 45% of the total Government revenue (section 3.1.5). 
Table 3.14 Tax revenues, 2009-13 
(G$ million) 
 2009  2010  2011  2012 2013  
Government revenue 89,071.4  100,958.8  111,408.9  118,334.0 126,509.8  
 of which:      
Tax revenue 88,284.7  100,049.5  110,437.3  117,300.9 125,373.1  
 Direct Tax      
  Corporation tax 14,982.1 18,105.1 18,444.4 19,576.2 22,689.3 
  Income tax 15,363.7 17,815.9 19,639.0 19,529.7 18,506.4 
  Withholding tax 2,851.5 3,322.2 4,976.9 4,843.3 4,932.4 
  Capital gain tax 217.1 212.1 242.7 408.2 265.8 
  Property tax 1,294.1 1,562.2 1,723.0 1,866.2 2,571.8 
  Professional fees 26.5 30.5 30.0 37.3 36.6 
 Indirect tax      
  Import duties 6,804.4 8,301.8 9,863.8 11,560.8 11,865.7 
  Export duties 8.2 6.7 9.6 9.1 14.1 
  Stamp duties 12.8 14.8 18.3 20.9 22.9 
  Environmental tax 674.0 776.8 1,014.1 1,070.9 1,071.7 
  Value-added tax 23,250.1 27,070.0 31,156.2 34,105.6 34,388.0 
  Premium tax 117.8 105.3 166.0 189.3 193.3 
  Excise tax 21,427.1 21,302.9 21,900.6 22,752.8 27,283.1 
  Travel tax 508.6 505.5 544.6 646.6 594.6 
  Travel voucher tax 746.6 917.8 708.0 684.2 937.4 
Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.89.  The income tax (on individuals) and the corporation tax are the two major direct taxes in 
Guyana. All corporations, irrespective of ownership, are subject to the corporation tax on 
chargeable profits. Effective on the income of 201 2, rates of corporation tax were reduced by 5%: 
a rate of 40% applied to commercial companies38 and 30% to non-commercial companies.39 Profits 
from sole proprietorships (self-employed) and partne rships are subject to the income tax. Effective 
on the 2013 income, the income tax rate was lowered to 30% (from 33.3% previously); also the 
threshold of non-taxable personal allowance was increased from G$40,000 to G$50,000 per 
month. Combined revenue from the corporation tax and the income tax accounted for about 33% 
of government revenue in 2013. 
                                               
37 Caribbean Export Development Agency  online information.  Viewed at: http://www.carib-export.com .    
38 Telecommunications companies (also considered as commercial companies) remain subject to the 
corporation tax at a rate of 45%. 
39 A commercial company is defined as one that derives at least 75% of its gross income from trading 
goods it does not manufacture. This  definition covers companies in the services sector such as 
telecommunications, banking, and insurance. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 40 - 
 
  3.90.  Guyana's principle indirect taxes are the value-added tax (VAT) and the excise tax; they 
together accounted for 81% of indirect tax revenue and 49% of government revenue in 2013. The VAT is applied to all goods and services consumed domestically (including imports) at a standard rate of 16%. The VAT is zero-rated on certain goods and services including basic food items, 
medical services and supplies, education services and materials, motor vehicles older than four 
years, and sports gear. Moreover, on the ground  of social or difficult-to-tax reasons, VAT 
exemptions are granted to some goods and se rvices including kerosene, residential rent, 
locally-mined raw gold and diamonds, liquid propane gas, gasoline and diesel (which is subject to 
the excise tax), and insurance and financial serv ices (which are subject to the premium tax).
40 
3.91.  The excise tax is applied to alcoholic beverages (at the rate of 40%); tobacco products 
(100%); petroleum products: gasoline and diesel (50%), gas oil (3%); and motor vehicles (rates 
vary widely by the age, engine capacity, type , and usage). Excise tax rates are specified by 
regulations issued by the Ministry of Finance; the regulations require an affirmative resolution in the National Assembly to be effective. Imported petroleum products, motor vehicles, and tobacco 
products and domestically-produced alcoholic beverage are the major source of excise tax 
revenues.  
3.92.  More than half of Guyana's revenues from the VAT are collected from imports; with respect 
to excise tax revenues, more than 80% are collected from imports (Table 3.15). 
Table 3.15 VAT and Excise Tax revenues, 2009-13 
(G$ million) 
 2009  2010  2011  2012 2013  
Value Added Tax 23,250.1  27,070.0  31,156.2  34,105.6 34,388.0  
  Imports 11,927.9 14,876.8 17,996.4 19,296.5 20,035.7 
  Domestic Supply 11,288.2 12,167.7 13,107.1 14,780.6 14,281.1 
Excise Tax 21,427.1  21,302.9  21,900.6  22,752.8 27,283.1  
  Imports 19,392.2 18,935.2 19,077.4 19,605.3 24,147.4 
   Motor Vehicles  7,311.6 7,702.4 7,808.6 10,595.7 9,984.0 
   Petroleum Products 10,350.3 9,437.3 9,137.8 6,598.2 11,783.1 
   Tobacco Products 1,094.8 1,077.0 1,161.0 1,292.0 1,302.8 
   Alcoholic Beverages 635.5 718.5 970.0 1,119.5 1,077.4 
  Domestic  2,029.5 2,358.1 2,813.3 3,138.6 3,123.9 
   Alcoholic Beverages 2,029.5 2,358.1 2,813.3 3,138.6 3,123.9 
Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.93.  The legislative framework for tax incentives has remained unchanged since Guyana's 
previous review. The Minister of Finance may gr ant corporation tax exemptions of up to 5 or 
10 years to non-traditional economic activities ("new economic activities")41 on the condition that 
the activities create employment in a wide range of sectors including non-traditional agricultural 
development, information and communications te chnologies, and infrastructure development.42 
Guyana also offers tariff and tax exemptions on imported goods including machinery and 
appliance, vehicles, building materials, and hotel furniture, as long as these goods are used for 
either the establishment of a new industry or developing an existing one.43 
3.94.  With respect to export incentives (section 3.2.4), Guyana allows its exporters of 
non-traditional products to deduct a certain percenta ge of their export profits from the income tax, 
depending on the shares of their products exported to extra-CARICOM destinations. Tariff 
exemption and zero-rated VATs are applied to raw materials and packaging for manufacturers if they export at least 50% of their products.  
                                               
40 Guyana Revenue Authority online information, "VAT – Partial Exemption". Viewed at: 
http://www.gra.gov.gy/value-added-tax-vat/partial-exemption . 
41 Income tax exemption for longer than ten years on ly granted to infrastructural development including 
the production of electricity using renewable sources of  energy. See Income Tax (In Aid of Industry) Act.  
42 Fiscal Enactment (Amendment) Act (2008). 
43 Industries Aid and Encouragement Act. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  3.3.2  Non-tax incentives and other assistances 
3.95.  There exists a scheme of industrial estate s, which provide companies located inside with 
better access to infrastructure (e.g. road access, electricity, and telecommunications). In industrial estates, the Government leases land to companies, regardless of the ownership, for 99 years at a 
concessionary rate of G$1 per square foot. Guyana has four government-managed industrial 
estates: Eccles, Coldingen, Berbice-Belvedere and Lethem. Applications for a plot in the estates 
must be submitted to the Department of Industrial  Development, and approved by the Minister of 
Tourism, Industry and Commerce. 
3.96.  All plots in Eccles and Coldingen have been allocated but not fully developed (90% for 
Eccles, and 75% for Coldingen). Industries operating in the estates currently engage in various activities such as food processing, fish processing, pharmaceuticals, and wood processing. The 
authorities estimated that these industrial estates created about 3,000 jobs in the last five years. 
3.97.   Guyana launched a "Micro- and Small Enterprise Development and Building Alternative 
Livelihoods for Vulnerable Groups" (MSED) project on 14 October 2013. The MSED project 
provides interest subsidies (up to 5%) and credit guarantee (equivalent to 40% of loan) for micro- 
and small enterprises.
44 Under the MSED project, the maximum amount of loan facility available 
for each borrower is US$150,000; before the end of  April 2015, 21 loans with the total amount of 
US$600,000 had been approved. In addition, a small amount of grant (G$300,000) were offered 
to small businesses in 17 sectors deemed as "low carbon sectors". The low carbon sectors are identified in the Guyana Low Carbon Development Strategy, and include fruits and vegetables, aquaculture, business process outsourcing and ecotourism.
45  
3.98.  The Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP) was discontinued in 2010; currently 
the remaining operation is focused on collecting the outstanding loans. Furthermore, as stipulated in the Small Business Act, the Government must us e its best endeavours to meet at least 20% of 
its procurement requirements of goods and servic es from small businesses. The Small Business 
Council does not have information on whether and how much procurement was awarded to small business.  
3.3.3  State trading, and state-owned enterprises 
3.99.  Guyana has not submitted any notification s regarding state trading enterprises within the 
meaning of Article XVII of the GATT 1994. 
3.100.  The fully state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is the only company 
permanently authorized to import and export sugar. All other companies may import refined sugar 
only under a non-automatic licence. Exports of sugar are reserved exclusively for GuySuCo (section 4.1.1).  
3.101.  Under the Guyana Gold Board Act, the Guyana Gold Board, a state-owned company, 
controls the commercialization, import, and ex port of gold in Guyana (section 4.1.2). 
Notwithstanding, private persons or companies may apply to the Guyana Gold Board to obtain an 
authorization to sell or export gold. The Guyana Gold Board announces its transaction prices (for 
purchase and sale) twice a day; they are adjusted in accordance with international prices as indicated by the London Bullion Market AM /PM Fix, according to the authorities. 
3.102.  According to the authorities, privatisation contributed to the Consolidated Fund more than 
G$12 billion over the period of 1994-2014.
46 The Government sold a 20% share of the Guyana 
                                               
44 Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund online information. Viewed at: 
http://www.guyanareddfund.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99&Itemid=129# .  
45 Guyana Low Carbon Development Strategy online  document, "Low Carbon Development Strategy 
Update". Viewed at: http://www.lcds.gov.gy/images/stories/Documents/ low%20carbon%20developme nt%20strategy%20update_fi
nal_march%202013.pdf . 
46 The Consolidated Fund collects all public money (including the revenues, trust and other money held 
by public offices) for budgetary purpose. See Article 217, the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of 
Guyana; Article 38, the Fiscal Management and Accounta bility Act 2003; and the Financial Administration and 
Audit Act. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 42 - 
 
  Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) Company in 2012-13; this was seen as the last large divestment 
operation of the privatisation programme. The National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), incorporated as a private limited company in Guyana, acts as a subscriber and a manager of the Government's shares, stocks, debentures of any company, cooperative societies or 
other bodies. It also manages government-owned real estate properties, including their 
acquisition, disposal or rental. The main objectives of the NICIL are to manage the Government's shareholdings in a unified and systematic manner, and to minimize conflict of interests within the 
Government. 
3.3.4  Competition and consumer protection policy  3.103.  Guyana's legislative and institutional framework regarding competition and consumer 
protection policy has remained largely unchanged since 2009. The Competition and Fair Trading 
Act (CFTA) is the main competition law. The Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission 
(CCAC), which began its operation in 2011, is responsible for implementing the CFTA.
47 
3.104.  As stated in its preamble, the objectives of the CFTA are: promoting and encouraging 
competition; prohibiting restriction in competition and abuse of dominant market positions; and 
promoting consumer welfare. The CFTA has provisio ns against conclusion of monopoly agreements 
and abuse of market dominance. The CFTA does not have any provisions on merger controls.48 The 
authorities indicate that a Merger Control and Revi ew Act is being drafted, and technical assistance 
is needed for further improvement in this area. 
3.105.  The CFTA prohibits all agreements between enterprises or associations of enterprises that 
have or are likely to prevent/restrict competitio n. The prohibited agreements include horizontal 
agreements (those among competitors), vertical agreements (those among firms at different levels 
of the supply chain), and concerted practices. For example, price fixing, production quota, 
geographic market divisions, or tie selling are prohibited. However, an agreement is not 
considered anti-competitive if the CCAC considers that it contributes to: the improvement of 
production or distribution of goods, or the promotion of technical or economic progress, while allowing consumers a fair share of the resulting be nefit. There are no CFTA provisions on import 
cartels.  
3.106.  A dominant position in a market is defined by law as a position where a firm (or a firm with 
an interconnected enterprise) controls more than  40% of the market, and is powerful enough to 
operate in the market without constraints from its competitors.
49 While the existence of a 
dominant position is not in itself illegal, the CFTA prohibits its abuse.  
3.107.  All business, including sectors for which th e Government bears a statutory responsibility to 
manage (e.g. public utilities), are subject to the CFTA.50 The authorities state that regarding the 
utilities sector, the Public Utilities Commission is the leading agency handling competition issues; 
the CCAC has a consultation role.51 
3.108.  The CCAC may conduct investigations in response to a complaint received, or on its own 
initiative. There have been four investigations since the CCAC started its operations in 2011; two 
were related to goods, and the rest were re lated to services including air transport and 
distribution. The authorities consider that collecting information that helps them estimate market shares is the biggest challenge to the CCAC, and tec hnical assistance is required in this regards so 
as to improve the effectiveness and efficiency  of competition enforcement in Guyana. The 
authorities do not publish information regarding market concentration such as Herfindahl Indexes. 
                                               
47 Before 2011, the Competition Commission was responsible for implementing the Competition and Fair 
Trading Act (CFTA); the Competition Commission and the Consumer Affair s Commission merged together in 
2011 and became the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission.  
48 The Security Industry Act 1998 has certain regula tions which deal specifically with mergers and 
acquisitions (Take-Over Regulations). 
49 Articles 25 and 26(1), the CFTA.  
50 The exemptions of application of the CFTA are listed in Article 4(1) of the CFTA. 
51 Article 4(2), the CFTA. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 43 - 
 
  3.109.  The authorities consider that the Guyana Go ld Board does not arbitrarily fix gold prices at 
which it sells or purchases given that it sets its prices twice a day in accordance with the international prices given by the London Bullion Market AM/PM Fix (section 3.3.3). 
3.3.5  Government procurement 
3.110.  There have been few changes to the legisl ative and institutional framework for government 
procurement in Guyana since its previous review. During the review period, the authorities took 
steps to improve the transparency and efficiency of the procurement system. 
3.111.  The main legislation pertaining to Guyana's government procurement includes the 
Procurement Act, the Public Procurement Commi ssion Tribunal Act, and their implementing 
regulations. In addition, there are procuremen t provisions in the Small Business Act. The 
procurement regime in Guyana provides preferen ces to domestic goods and supplies and to small 
businesses. 
3.112.  The National Procurement and Tender Admi nistration Board (NPTAB) under the Ministry of 
Finance is the major agency responsible for public procurement in Guyana. In addition to being the 
sole tenderer for procurement valued above spec ific thresholds, the NPTAB is responsible for: 
setting up regulations that implement the Procurem ent Act; reviewing decisions of other procuring 
entities upon request; and reporting to the Minister with respect to the effectiveness of 
procurement processes and recommending any changes to procurement legislation. The 
establishment of a Public Procurement Commission is being considered by the National Assembly. 
3.113.  The Procurement Act is applied to pub lic procurement at the national, ministerial, 
government agency, and regional level, but not to  procurement by public corporations and other 
state bodies.
52 The NPTAB must issue all tenders for procurement above specific thresholds. 
Tendering may adopt one of the following methods:  
 Open tendering: mandatory except under certain circumstances;  
 Restricted tendering: used when goods, construction work, or services are available 
only from a limited number of contractors or suppliers due to their complex or specialized characteristics; 
 Single source procurement: used when goods, construction work, or services are 
available only from one source because of their complex nature, or when additional supplies are required from an already-awarded contractor, or for defence/security reasons; 
 Request for quotations: used when the estimated value of procurement contract does 
not exceed G$800,000; and 
 Procurement through community participation: where procurement is conducted in 
poor remote communities, and the Act's competitive procedures are not feasible. 
Goods, construction work and services belo w G$1.5 million may be procured directly 
either from local community organizations or a single local supplier or contractor. 
3.114.  The tender award thresholds for public procurement in Guyana have remained unchanged 
since its previous review. The NPTAB must pub lish tenders for any procurement project with a 
value of above G$15 million. Thresholds for othe r types of procurement may vary depending on 
procuring entities and types of procurement (Table  3.16). The authorities indicate that technical 
assistance would be required in the event the proc urement thresholds need to be changed, as they 
have limited capacity to collect necessary information related to procurement nationwide. 
                                               
52 If procurement by public corp orations and other state bodies are funded by the Treasury, the 
Procurement Act is also applied to the procurement. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 44 - 
 
  Table 3.16 Tender award thresholds, 2015 
Procuring entities Type of contracts Contract value  
(G$ million)  
National Board All types 15 
Regional Goods and services (other than consulting) 0.25 – 6.0 
Construction 0.6 – 9.0 
Consulting services 0.4 – 0.5 
Ministerial/departmental/agency Goods and services (other than consulting) 0.25 – 0.6 
Construction  0.6 – 1.0 
Consulting services 0.4 – 0.5 
Ministry of Public Works and Communications Goods and services (other than consulting) 1.0 – 4.0 
Construction 1.0 – 8.0 
Consulting services 1.0 – 3.0 
Ministry of Agriculture Goods and services (other than consulting) 1.0 – 4.0 
Construction 1.0 – 8.0 
Consulting services 1.0 – 3.0 
Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
3.115.  The authorities indicate that tender aw ards are based on criteria specified in bid 
documents, and are not necessary based solely on prices. Under the Procurement Act, procuring 
entities may grant a margin of preference of up to 10% to tenders submitted by domestic 
contractors or for the benefit of domestically produced goods. It was not clear to the Secretariat whether a subsidiary of a foreign company locally incorporated in Guyana was considered as a 
local company and thus be eligible for the preference margin. The authorities indicate that such a 
margin is rarely accorded.  
3.116.  Invitations to pre-qualify or to tender must be published in national newspapers and 
posted in public places; where procuring entities consider that foreign tenderers may be interested 
in joining the tender, publication must also be made in at least one of international newspapers of wide circulation. Any pre-qualification process must allow undefined sufficient time for suppliers and contractors to prepare and submit their applicat ions, taking into account the procuring entity's 
needs. Detailed information on the project concerne d must be provided and any decision about the 
adequacy of qualifications must be based on criteria set out in the prequalification documents.
53 
Notices of contract awards must be published with in seven days of the award of the contract on 
the NTPAB websites.54 
3.117.  In September 2012, the NPTAB revised and published their standard bidding documents. 
These documents are intended to simplify the bi dding procedures and facilitate tenders. The 
authorities note that the numbers of biddings and responses to tenders have increased since the 
introduction of the revised standard bidding documents. 
3.118.  Bidders whose tender or proposal has been rejected may submit a written protest to the 
procuring entity concerning pre-qualification, te ndering proceedings, or procurement methods if 
procurement proceedings have not led to a contract award. The bidder may also request a review 
by the NPTAB. Reviews are undertaken by a Bid Protest Committee; the Committee is required to make every effort to reach a decision within 20 working days from the receipt of the request. 
3.119.  The Cabinet has the right to object to the award of a procurem ent contract of over 
G$15 million if it deems that the procuring enti ty did not comply with procurement procedures. 
The authorities indicate that between January and November 2011, there were 380 contracts 
whose individual values were above G$15 million, and five of these were objected by the Cabinet. 
The authorities indicate that most objections were due to alleged procedural fault in the procurement process.  
3.120.  The EU-CARIFORUM EPA contains provisions on government procurement, under which 
transparency obligations are applied to procur ement above certain thresholds (SDR 155,000 for 
goods and services; SDR 6,500,000 for works) by listed entities. Guyana includes seven ministries 
                                               
53 Pre-qualification proceedings are set out in the Procurement Act, Article 6. 
54 National Procurement and Tender Administration on line information, "List of NPTA Tender Award". 
Viewed at: http://www.npta.gov.gy/tender_awards.html .  WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 45 - 
 
  and the Office of the Prime Minister as listed enti ties to which provisions of the EPA apply. Market 
access by one party of the EPA to procurement opportunities in another party is not automatic.55  
3.121.  Guyana is not a signatory to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA); the 
authorities indicate that Guyana does not intend to become an observer or accede to the GPA.  
3.3.6  Intellectual property rights 
3.122.  Guyana's legal framework concerning intellectual property rights (IPRs) has remained 
largely unchanged since its previous review. Most of its intellectual property laws date back to the 
pre-independence period; they were notified to the WTO in 2002.56  
3.123.  Guyana is a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It is a 
signatory to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Ar tistic Works. Under the EPA between the EU and 
the CARIFORUM, Guyana is committed to acceding to other treaties administered under the WIPO, 
as well as adequately implementing the obligatio n of intellectual property agreements it has 
signed, including the WTO TRIPS Agreement.  
3.124.  The Deed Registry under the Ministry of Legal Affairs was responsible for the 
implementation of intellectual property legislation, including processing applications and other administrative work related to IPR protection until May 2015. The Commercial Registry under the 
Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority, established in 2014 as an autonomous agency, was 
expected to take over the responsibility of the IPR administration from end-May 2015. With a view 
to easing the resource constraint that the previous  Deed Registry faced and clearing the backlog of 
cases.
57  
3.125.  Under the law, patents and industrial de signs are protected for 16 years since the filing 
date of complete specifications. Patent or industrial design right holders in the United Kingdom may extend their rights to Guyana if they apply to register the rights in Guyana within three years 
of granting the IPRs in the United Kingdom.  
3.126.  Compulsory licensing is allowed for patents and industrial designs if the authorities 
consider that there has been an abuse of monopoly rights, or for state purposes. With respect to 
the former, the Act allows any person to present a claim to the Registry at least three years after 
the granting of the IPRs concerned, alleging th at there has been an abuse of monopoly rights.
58 
Compulsory licensing for state use of patents may occur in cases of war, or if any government agency had already been using the patented goods before the patent was granted. No compulsory 
licence has ever been granted in Guyana. 
3.127.  Copyright protection is granted for 50 years since the publication of sound recordings, 
cinematography, television/sound broadcasts, and literary, dramatic and musical work. Copyrights 
protection is granted for 25 years to published ed itions of works; there are no provisions on 
unpublished works. Protections covers works originating in parties to international copyright conventions, works produced by certain international organizations, and lawfully authorized 
broadcasts originating in other Commonwealth countries. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports 
is the competent authority concerning copyrights.  
3.128.  To be registered in Guyana, trademarks mu st satisfy certain conditions such as not causing 
confusion through copying or imitation of existing marks. Trademark protection in Guyana covers 
goods but not services. Trademarks granted in th e United Kingdom are recognized in Guyana. As 
                                               
55 The EPA leaves it open to individual party to determ ine to whom it will grant permission to participate 
in the procurement process. See Article 166 of the EU-CARIFORUM EPA. 
56 WTO document IP/N/1/GUY/1, 4 September 2002. 
57 The Commercial Registry is not responsible for in tellectual property rights issues concerning 
copyrights and related rights. 
58 Such abuse may take the form of: the patent not being worked commercially in Guyana; commercial 
use of the patent being prevented by the importation of the patented articl e by the patentee; trade activities 
being hindered as a result of refusa l to grant a licence on the patented product; any trade or industry in 
Guyana being harmed by the terms of the patent; or th e trade of any materials used in the patented good 
being unfairly prejudiced by the existence of the patent. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 46 - 
 
  per the Trademarks Act, a registered trademark is valid for seven years;  the registration is 
renewable. If a registered trademark has been found not in use for five consecutive years, the registration is removed. As of October 2014, there were 26,700 trademarks registered in Guyana. 
3.129.  Geographical indications (GIs), irrespective of being registered or not, are protected in a 
manner similar to trademarks. The Geographical Indication Act defines GIs as indications that 
identify goods as originating in the territory of a country, region, or locality in that territory, where 
a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the goods is essentially attributable to its 
geographical origin. At the end of April 2015, no GI has been registered in Guyana. 
3.130.  Guyana does not have any legislation on new plant varieties, layout-designs of integrated 
circuits, or undisclosed information/trade secrets. 
3.131.  There are no provisions on parallel imports, however, according to the authorities, parallel 
imports of IPR goods are limited. 
 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  4  TRADE POLICIES BY SECTOR          
4.1  Agriculture, fisheries, and forestry 4.1.1  Agriculture 
4.1.  Guyana's society and economy relies heavil y on agriculture, fishing and forestry; in 2013, 
these sectors accounted for 18.9% of its GDP. While data on employment in the sector were not available, the authorities state that about 125,000 persons currently depend on the sugar industry 
for their livelihoods directly or indirectly. Vegetable products and fish and crustaceans accounted 
for 21.8% and 6.4% of merchandise exports, respectively, in 2014. 
4.2.  The main agricultural products in Guyana are sugar and rice (Table 4.1). Sugar farming is 
dominated by the 100% state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). Rice production is 
carried out by private producers, the vast majority  of whom are small-scale farmers. Guyana also 
produces a wide variety of "non-traditional" agri cultural products (e.g. fruits and vegetables). 
Against the background of changes started in 2006 in the sugar import regime of the EU, Guyana's 
main market for sugar, Guyana’s sugar industry has been making efforts to reduce production 
costs and diversify products. Guyana is also seeking to expand its exports of non-traditional agricultural products. Government support to agriculture mainly takes the form of extension 
services to farmers and various tax exemptions; pr ovisions of grants and concessionary loans are 
generally limited, except to the rice industry.  
Table 4.1 Agricultural production, 2010-13 
Product 2010  2011  2012 2013  
Sugar (tonnes) 220,818 236,507 218,069 186,754 
Rice (tonnes) 361,527 402,479 422,058 535,555 
Poultry (kg) 24,969,212 25,573,466 30,412,761 29,280,260 
Eggs (number) 14,169,197 23,508,323 21,234,317 17,964,574 
Milk (litres) 26,800,000 34,200,000 39,271,368 46,483,931 
Beef (tonnes) 2,260 2,153 1,635 2,262 
Pork (tonnes) 305 203 199 572 
Source: Guyana Rice Development Board (2013), 2013 Annual Report; and inform ation provided by the 
authorities of Guyana. 
4.3.  Guyana's main export items include raw sugar and rice. In 2014, 90% of sugar produced in 
Guyana was exported; around 84% of the sugar exports was to the EU, 9% to other CARICOM countries, and 7% to the United States.  
4.4.  There is no overarching law governing agriculture in Guyana; several laws governing the 
sector include the Rice Factories Act and the Suga r Industry Special Funds Act. The Seeds Act was 
adopted in 2011 with a view to regulating the prod uction, sale, import and export of seeds, and 
providing for the import or export certification for seeds. No provisions for subsidies or imposition 
of export duties are stipulated under the Act. Under the Rice Factories (Amendment) Act 2007, at 
least 95% of payments to producers must be made by a miller before the end of the following year 
of production. The Guyana Livestock Development Authority Act, which entered into force in 2010, 
resulted in administrative changes regarding animal health matters, such as the creation of the 
Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), a national semi-autonomous body that was tasked with addressing animal health, animal production and animal trade matters.
1 
4.5.  The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) is resp onsible for policy formulation, monitoring, and 
implementation as well as some training and technical assistance activities. Numerous other bodies are active in the sector, including the GLDA (Table A4.1).  
4.6.  The authorities' agricultural policy objectiv es are: to facilitate the development of agriculture 
and fisheries in Guyana, thereby contributing to the enhancement of rural life; sustained 
                                               
1 This resulted in all collaborating bodies that prev iously functioned under the Ministry of Agriculture, 
namely the National Dairy Development Unit, the Livestock segment of the Crops and Livestock Division of the 
Ministry of Agriculture, and the Live stock Segments of the National Agricultural Research Institute, to be 
combined to form the GLDA. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  improvement of incomes of producers and other participants in the agricultural production and 
marketing chain; and maintenance of a sound physical and institutional environment for present and future production activities.  
4.7.   In the DDA negotiations on agriculture, Guyana's priorities include the incorporation of 
provisions on a special safeguard mechanism for developing countries into any new agreement.  
4.8.  Guyana's simple average applied MFN tariff on agricultural products (WTO definition) was 
22.7% in 2014. All tariffs on agricultural products are ad valorem , and applied rates range from 
zero to 100%; the products subject to applied MFN tariff rates of 100% are meat and edible offal, 
some food preparations as well as various alcoholic beverages, cigars, and tobacco. The simple average bound tariff on agricultural products, at  99.8%, was significantly higher than the simple 
average applied MFN rate.  
4.9.  A number of agricultural products are subject to import licensing requirements.  
4.10.  Under the Customs Act, export duties are levied on unrefined cane sugar at G$1 per tonne 
and on molasses at G$1 per 100 litres; no export du ties are levied on exports of these products to 
other CARICOM members. Under the Sugar Industry Special Funds Act
2, exporters must pay 
Customs G$514.50 for every tonne of sugar manufactured in Guyana and exported outside the CARICOM: 97.2% of the funds obtained from this levy go to the Sugar Industry Labour Welfare 
Fund, 2.3% to the Sugar Industry Rehabilitation  Fund; and 0.5% to the Sugar Industry Price 
Stabilisation Fund. 
4.11.  Guyana filed its last notification to th e WTO concerning export subsidies in 2005, which 
states that during the calendar years 2003 and 2004, no agricultural export subsidies were in 
operation.
3 Guyana's last notification on domestic support was also filed in 2005, covering inter 
alia general services for the years 2003 and 2004.4  
4.12.  A range of tax exemptions are available to farmers under the value-added tax (VAT) Act 
and the Customs Act (Table 4.2). Information was no t available on revenue forgone as a result of 
these exemptions. 
Table 4.2 Tax exemptions for agriculture 
Legislation Exemptions 
VAT Act Zero rating of various essent ial food items including: certain ba by formula, certain flour, certain 
bread, casareep, cassava bread, cheddar cheese,  cooking oil, cooking salt, milk and milk 
powder, various dried peas, farina, certain fresh  fruits and vegetables, lard, locally-produced 
jams, jellies and peanut butter, margarine, oa ts, locally produced peanuts and cashew nuts, 
plain white flour, raw brown sugar, raw white or  brown rice, sago, shortening, eggs, chicken, 
certain cracker biscuits, and wheat up.  
 Zero rating of certain agricultural inputs: fert ilizers; pesticides; fungicide, herbicide, and 
weedicide for agriculture purposes; vegetable seeds; machinery, equipment or components 
used in the generation of renewable energy in the agriculture sector using agricultural by-
products; paddy; hatching eggs; animal medication; harrows, cultivators, scarifiers, ploughs, 
weeders, and hoes; machinery used for preparin g animal feeding stuffs; approved prepared 
animal feed; and approved veterinary drugs.  
Customs 
Act  Exemption of certain agricultural inputs from cu stoms duties: agricultural hand tools and spare 
parts for agricultural machinery and appliances ; fertilizers, manures, insecticides, fungicides, 
herbicides, and inoculants; approved motor vehi cles for farm use or the transportation of 
agricultural products; equipment and materials for beekeeping 
                                               
2 The Sugar Industry Special Fund s Act stipulates the establishment of a Sugar Industry Price 
Stabilisation Fund, a Sugar Industry Price Rehabilitation  Fund and a Sugar Industry Labour Welfare Fund. The 
Secretary of Treasury shall act as trustee of those funds.  Levies shall be collected on the export of sugar for 
the benefit of the funds. FAO online inform ation. Viewed at: http://faolex.fao.org/cgi-
bin/faolex.exe?rec_id=034670&database=FAOLEX&search _type=link&table=result&lang=eng&format_name=
@ERALL. In 2012, the Sugar Industry Special Funds (Spe cial Provisions) Act was adopted to allow special 
provisions relating to the payment of pensions. 
3 WTO document G/AG/N/GUY/13, 27 May, 2005. 
4 WTO document G/AG/N/GUY/14, 24 June 2005. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  Legislation Exemptions 
 Exemptions for agriculture products from the ge neral export tax rate of 1.5%, except for 
unrefined sugar cane and molasses  
Source: Guyana Revenue Authority online information. Viewed at: 
http://www.gra.gov.gy/images/GRA_Docs/Tax_guides/Zero%20Rate%20Items%20Revised%20201
5.pdf; and Customs (Amendment) Act 2007. 
4.13.  Other government support takes the form  of providing agricultural inputs such as 
machinery, seed, and fertilizers.  
4.14.  The Government also assists farmers by ac quiring improved breeding stock and distributing 
it to farmers; it also provides enhanced extensio n services to facilitate the transfer of technology, 
as well as seed and planting material.  
4.15.  While Guyana's sugar exports benefited from a guaranteed access to the EU market, a 
major change in the EU's import regime for sugar, which started in 2006 to gradually reduce quota 
import prices of sugar and reduce the guaranteed purchase prices, has continued to affect Guyana's sugar industry. In the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), all 
sugar exports from CARIFORUM states were to enter the EU duty free and quota free by 2012, 
subject to a special safeguard clause. In the face  of these changes, Guyana has taken steps to 
restructure the sugar industry so that  they become more competitive by inter alia  lowering costs 
and adding value to core as well as diversified products. Sugar production in Guyana has been 
declining since 2012, the Government set a revised target of 190,000 tonnes for sugar production 
in 2013; the target was largely achieved. The GuySuCo is the only state-trading company authorized to import and export sugar. All other companies may import sugar only under a non-
automatic licence. In order to mitigate the impact  of the change in the EU's policies, Guyana put 
together its National Action Plan (GNAP) and su bmitted it to the EU in March 2006. Based on the 
GNAP, eight financing agreements were signed during 2006-13, and since 2006, the Government has provided subsidies amounting to around EUR 158.8 million to the GuySuCo. No conditions, 
such as what the fund can be used for, were attached to the subsidies, except in 2014, when G$6 
billion was remitted for investments and capital expenditure. The Government has also waived US$8 million per annum since 2009 from the repayment of the loan for the Skeldon Sugar 
Modernization Programme. 
4.16.  Guyana benefits from preferential access for its rice exports: data provided by the 
authorities indicate that in 2013, about 19.7% of rice was exported to CARICOM countries and 
about 20% to the EU under the CARICOM-EU EPA. A fee of US$4 per tonne for whole grain rice 
and US$2 per tonne for rice by-products is applied to both exports and domestic sales with a view 
to covering the cost of administration. The f ee finances the activities of the Guyana Rice 
Development Board.  
4.17.  With respect to developments in the non-traditional sector, Guyana has signed protocols for 
the export of various fruits and vegetables from certified farms to St. Lucia, Barbados, and Antigua 
and Barbuda.  The initial projects outlined in the Agriculture Export Diversification Program, which 
was adopted in 2007 to inter alia  establish services and institutions to increase exports of 
non-traditional agriculture, have been completed. A new National Agriculture Development Strategy 2013-2020, which was adopted by the Government in 2013, seeks to promote inter alia  
coconut, pepper, plantain, pineapple and pumpkin through the provision of extension services, 
fertilizers, irrigation and access to roads.
5  
4.1.2  Fisheries 4.18.  In 2013, fisheries accounted for 2.1% of GDP. The catch of shrimp has increased 
significantly since 2009, while that of fish has slightly declined (Table 4.3). Fishing and related 
processing activities make a significant contribution to foreign earnings, accounting for 6.4% of Guyana's merchandise exports in 2014; the main exports are frozen crustaceans and fresh or 
chilled fish. Most fish products are exported to the United States. 
                                               
5 Ministry of Agriculture online informatio n. Viewed at: http://agriculture.gov.gy. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  Table 4.3 Fisheries production, 2009-13  
(Tonnes) 
Product 2009  2010  2011  2012 2013  
Fish 25,300 25,320 25,537 27,096 24,837 
Shrimp 17,503 21,781 20,827 25,999 24,738 
Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
4.19.  The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the formulation and impl ementation of fisheries 
policy in Guyana. A Fisheries Advisory Committee comprising of representatives from the public and private sectors advises the Minister on all fisheries issues.  
4.20.  The main legislation regulating the sector is the Fisheries Act 2002, which provides for: the 
registry of fishing boats with the Chief Fisher ies Officer; the inspection of vessels; and the 
licensing of fishing operations, both domestic and foreign. Foreigners may obtain a licence to engage in fishing if they set up a local company, or if they engage in test fishing. There have been 
no changes to the Maritime Boundaries Act 1977, which establishes a territorial sea and a fishery 
zone that extends 200 miles out from the baseline of the territorial sea.
6 Some amendments are 
being made to regulations under the Fisheries Ac t 2002 in regard to inter alia monitoring of 
catches, reflecting the developments of the international environment.  
4.21.  Guyana's simple average applied MFN tariff on fish and fishery products was 28.8% in 2014, 
with tariffs ranging from zero to 40%. Guyana's simple average bound tariff on these products was 
50.9% in the same year. Fish and fish products ar e subject to a general export tax rate of 1.5% 
under the Customs Act; however, in practice this ta x is levied only on fish glue and fish eggs.  
4.22.  Guyana grants tax exemptions to assist the industry. Certain fishing inputs are zero-rated 
under the VAT Act: ice for fishing purposes, fishin g nets, fish hooks, sheet lead, fishing floats, 
cotton, and Styrofoam for use in the fishin g industry. In addition, under the Customs 
(Amendment) Act, fishing boats, spare parts and equipment for fishing boats, and fishing 
equipment for use in the fishing industry are exem pt from customs duties. There is no government 
assistance to the fishing industry in the form of grants and loans. 
4.1.3  Forestry 4.23.  Three quarters of Guyana is covered by  forest, and there are over 1,000 tree varieties. 
Guyana has a total forest area of around 18.5 million hectares. A forest area of around 12.6 million 
is owned by the Government, of which 6.8 million hectares has been allocated for commercial purposes. State-owned forest is divided up into several classes, according to use potential. Around 3.3 million hectares of forest land are owned ma inly by Amerindian communities. The contribution 
of forestry to Guyana's GDP in 2013 was 2.9%. Guyana's production of logs amounted to around 
0.4 million m
3 in 2014.7 Exports of wood and articles of wood accounted for around 4.8% of 
Guyana’s total merchandise exports in 2014. 
4.24.  The Ministry of Natural Resources and the En vironment has overall responsibility for forestry 
in Guyana, and the sector is regulated by the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC). In 2012, the 
Guyana Forestry Commission Act 2007 and the Forest Act 2009 entered into force, respectively.8 
Certain sections of the Acts that do not require implementation of regulations have already been 
implemented. The authorities consider that these Acts have effectively strengthened the legal framework to support the changing environment, addressing current needs, and supporting the 
growth and development of the se ctor as a whole. The GFC Act outlines the role, mandate and 
operational modalities of the GFC, such as the functions of the GFC, the role of its key officials, 
and the overall framework within which the GFC is to execute its mandate. The Forest Act outlines 
the management of the State Forest Estate, such as forest area allocation, forest monitoring, and 
community forestry.  
                                               
6 The provisions of the Maritime Boundaries Act are summarized in WTO (2003) . 
7 Guyana Forestry Commission, January-June 2014. 
8 Before 2012, the Ministry of Agriculture had overall responsibility for forestry in Guyana. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 51 - 
 
  4.25.  The simple average applied MFN tariff rate on forest products was 5% in 2014; the simple 
average bound rate was 86.7%, with rates ranging from 50% to 100%. In practice, imports are virtually non-existent, due to abundant domestic production.  
4.26.  All exporters of timber need to: be register ed; be in possession of an export certificate; and 
comply with certain grading and preservation requ irements. There are no price controls on forest 
products.  
4.27.  In 2011, the National Forest Plan 2001 and the National Forest Policy 1997 were revised 
through consultations and engagement with key stakeholders. A revised National Log Policy, 
introduced in 2012, for 2012-2014 raised the commission rates levied on exports of certain species of log. These rates range from 12% to 15% of the f.o.b. export value for exports in 2012 (from 1 August to 31 December 2012), to between 17% and 20% in 2015 (up to December). The Policy 
is aimed at increasing value-added to forest production, export revenue, domestic employment, 
t h e  f o r e s t  s e c t o r ' s  c o n t r i b u t i o n  t o  G D P ,  a n d  g r o w t h  i n  d o m e s t i c  v a l u e - a d d e d .  I t  a l s o  a i m s  t o  provide an incentive to the manufacturing industry providing a constant supply of species of logs 
needed. The Policy is subject to review in 2015. Export duties are levied on greenheart (round 
piling and hewn) at G$0.29 per m
3 and greenheart (sawn) at G$5.09 per m3. Other forest products 
are exempt from the general export duty rate of 1.5%. The Forest Products Development and 
Marketing Council is an advisory body within the Guyana Forestry Commission with the objective 
of promoting the export of forest products.  
4.28.  There are no restrictions on who may lease forests. However, only citizens of Guyana may 
be granted exploratory permits as individuals; such permits may be obtained by either domestic or 
foreign corporations.9 The removal of forest produce is subject to royalty payments. State 
concessions to be allocated are advertised; in th e granting of awards, levels of investment and 
local employment are taken into consideration. The authorities indicate that around 60% of the 
investment in the forest sector comprises foreign investment mainly from the Asia/Pacific region 
(e.g. India and China).  
4.2  Mining 
4.29.  Mining and quarrying accounted for 18.0% of GDP in 2013, up from 14.2% in 2009. The 
authorities estimate that between 10,000 and 15,000 persons are employed in this sector. They 
consider that the mining industry has spill-over ef fects on employment in services incidental to 
mineral extraction, on local businesses producing mining equipment, and on the jewellery and 
construction industries. According to the SITC nomenclature, mining accounted for 13.0% of 
exports and re-exports in 2014. Aluminium ores (b auxite) accounted for 12.4% of exports and re-
exports in 2014. Gold, classified separately from mining under the SITC nomenclature, 
represented 24.2% of exports and re-exports in  2014 (compared with 35.5% in 2009). The mining 
sector as a whole (including gold) accounted for 37.2% of exports and re-exports in 2014.  
4.30.  Since the previous review of Guyana, th ere has been little change to the legislation 
governing the sector. The Mining Act, the princi ple regulating statute, vests ownership of all 
mineral rights with the State. Under the Act, small and medium-scale operations are restricted to Guyanese citizens, although at the medium scale joint-ventures with foreign companies are permitted. Foreign companies may be granted prospecting, mining, and quarry licences for large-
scale operations. Permission may be granted fo r reconnaissance surveys over larger areas. 
Arrangements for large-scale operations are formal ized and subject to more specific requirements.  
The Petroleum (Production) Act also vests the St ate with ownership of petroleum. The Petroleum 
(Exploration and Production) Act 1986 and implem enting regulations address issues related to 
prospecting for and production of petroleum.  
4.31.  The Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment holds the portfolio of mines and 
minerals and is responsible for policy formulation and implementation.
10 The sector is regulated by 
the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), which is a state regulatory agency, and 
                                               
9 Under the Forests Act, an exploratory permit is a pe rmit for operations in connection with exploration 
for the purposes of discovering and evaluating forest produce and includes forest  inventories, social and 
environmental impact assessments, and topographic surveys. 
10 Before 2011, the Prime Minister held the portfolio of mines and minerals and had responsibility for 
policy formulation and implementation. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 52 - 
 
  reports to the Minister. The GGMC issues pros pecting permits and quarry licences and is 
responsible for enforcing the conditions of licences , permits, and concessions granted, as well as 
collecting associated fees. Licences to import pe troleum and petroleum products are issued by the 
Guyana Energy Agency (GEA). 
4.32.  There are no foreign investment restrictions applicable to the mining, and petroleum 
exploration and exploitation sectors, except, as mentioned above, that small-scale operations are 
only allowed for the Guyanese citizens and the medium-scale operations for the Guyanese citizens 
and joint ventures with foreign firms.11  
4.33.  Gold is the dominant commodity in terms of  value of mineral production followed by bauxite 
and diamonds. Production volumes of diamonds have fluctuated over the review period, while those of gold have steadily increased (Table 4.4). 
4.34.  Royalty payments are 5% of gross proceeds for gold
12, 2% based on a valuation of US$100 
per carat for diamonds, 1.5% of either gross revenues or ex-factory production costs, whichever is greater, for bauxite and non-precious metals; G$15 per tonne extracted for quarry materials 
(sand, loam, laterite, and clay); and G$25 per tonne  extracted for stone. Royalty rates are not set 
out in any regulation, but are decided by the Go vernment. In 2013, royalty payments paid to the 
Government amounted to around G$6 billion from gold mining enterprises and around 
G$38.5 million from diamond mining enterprises. 
4.35.  Export duties on all mining products are levied at the general rate of 1.5%. Various 
sector-specific fiscal incentives are available to the mining industry. For large-scale mining of gold and precious metals, diamonds, and precious ston es, the excise tax on fuel is reduced to 10%; 
equipment, process materials and spares used fo r mining and quarrying-related activities are 
exempt from customs duties, VAT, and excise taxe s. All-terrain vehicles are also exempt from 
customs duties and excise taxes, and are zero-rat ed under the VAT provided certain conditions are 
met. There are also VAT and excise tax exemptions for outboard engines for up to 75HP. For 
small-scale mining operations, there are VAT and excise tax exemptions for all-terrain vehicles, pumps, matting, dredge flexes, and expanding me tal. The withholding tax is also waived. The 
authorities indicate that there are no financing mechanisms available specifically to the mining 
industry.  
4.36.  Under the Amerindian Act (2006), mining on Amerindian lands is subject to the consent of 
the respective Amerindian community occupying the land. The Act explicitly states that under any 
agreements reached, the miner must offer employment to residents at market rates
13; 
employment of non-residents is not allowed unless residents with the required skills are not available.
14  
Table 4.4 Mining production, 2009-13 
 2009  2010  2011  2012 2013 
Gold (kg) 9,325.8 9,542.9 11,293.4 13,643.7 14,963.8 
Bauxite (tonnes) 1,448,000 1,010,000 1,827,000 2,210,000 1,694,000 
Diamond (carats) 143,900 49,900 52,300 40,700 55,927 
Source:  Data provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
4.2.1  Gold 
4.37.  There are two large gold mining firms in  Guyana; all other firms are either small or 
medium-sized operations, involving investment from inter alia  Brazil, Canada, and the 
                                               
11 Medium-scale operators must submit work progra mmes to the GGMC, while small-scale operators are 
not subject to such a requirement.  
12 The royalty on gold is levied on a sliding scale: 5% when the world price of gold is above 
US$285/ounce; 4% when the world price is between US$260-US$285/ounce; and 3% when the world price 
falls below US$260/ounce. For large scale gold operations, the royalty is 8% if the price exceeds US$1,000.  
13 Under the Act, a resident is define d as an individual "(a) who is an  Amerindian who was born in, lives 
in or has his principal place of residence within the village or (b) who lives within the Village and is recognized 
as a resident by the membership rules of that village". 
14 Amerindian Act, No. 6 of 2006, Part V. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 53 - 
 
  United States, or are Guyanese joint ventures with companies from these countries. The 
Government does not have a share in any of these companies.  
4.38.  A licence (reconnaissance licence) is required to undertake reconnaissance surveys for gold 
mining. After the surveys are done, a prospective programme must be submitted to the authorities 
to acquire prospecting licences (valid for three years) and ministerial approval (valid for one year 
and renewable). Applications for mining licences are made to the GGMC, which has the authority to grant or refuse licences as well as to attach any conditions. Mining licences are generally 
granted for 20 years initially, with unlimited renewals for seven years at a time. 
4.39.  The authorities state that the Guyana Gold  Board, a state-owned company and an agent for 
the GGMC, and licenced dealers control the commer cialization and import and export of gold in 
Guyana (section 3.3.3). All the gold extracted in Guyana must be sold to the Guyana Gold Board. 
It announces its transaction prices (for purchase and sale) twice a day (sections 3.3.3 and 3.3.4). 
4.2.2  Bauxite 4.40.  There are currently two large-scale bauxite mining companies active in Guyana, both are 
private companies, with majority private, foreign ownership: Omai Bauxite Mining Inc. (OBMI), 
fully owned by Bosai Minerals (of China); and the Bauxite Company of Guyana Inc. (BCGI), a joint 
venture between RUSAL (a Russian company) which owns 90%, and the Government, which 
maintains a 10% stake. There are no bauxite refineries in Guyana.   
4.3  Energy 4.3.1  Electricity 4.41.  Electricity production in Guyana is costly an d highly reliant on imported fuel, as there is no 
commercial production of petroleum in Guyana. However, there is considerable potential for 
Guyana to increase hydroelectric generation.  
4.42.  The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc., a 100% state-owned company, is the largest power 
generator and has monopoly over the transmission an d distribution of electricity in Guyana, except 
for certain areas. Any person/company has the right to supply electricity for their own purposes (i.e. self-generation); a number of major industrial organisations provide for their own generation. 
The right to supply electricity to any other person, whether for private or public purposes, is 
restricted; nonetheless, a licence may be grante d by the responsible Minister for areas where 
electricity is not supplied by the GPL.
15 The service provided by the GPL is largely limited to the 
coastal regions of the country; it has been the prac tice of the Government to grant supply licences 
to persons to generate and sell in bulk or distri bute electricity for private and public purposes in 
areas not served by the GPL.16 With respect to remote hinterland communities where buildings are 
far apart, the Government started installing photovoltaics solar systems on homes (65 watts) and 
community buildings (125 watts) in 2009. As at end-December 2014, there were approximately 
13,300 of such systems in some 200 communities in the hinterland regions of Guyana. The 
beneficiaries of the systems (village councils) are responsible for the maintenance of the 
installations.  
4.43.  Guyana's estimated installed power capacity is 380 MW.17 Guyana remains almost entirely 
dependent on its imports of fuel oil for electricity generation: 95% of electricity is generated by diesel and heavy fuel oil, and 5% by co-gener ation using bagasse. No electricity is currently 
generated from hydroelectric power. The authorities maintain their commitment to the Amaila Falls 
Hydro-electric Project (AFHP) and expect financing of the project to be settled in 2015. Efforts are 
also ongoing to realise the Guyana Wind Farm Project (25 MW) to supply power to the national 
                                               
15 At present, the Prime Minister is the responsible Minister. 
16 Since 2009, the Mahdia Power & Light Inc., Port Kaituma Power & Light Inc., Mathews-Ridge Power & 
Light Inc., Moruca Power & Light Inc. and the Mabaruma Power & Light Inc. have been added to the group of 
public suppliers of electricity in areas not serviced by the GPL; other non-GPL suppliers already established 
before 2009 include Lethem Power and Light Inc, Omai Services Inc., Linden Electricity Company Inc., 
Kwakwani Utilities Inc., and Linden Utility Services Co-op Society Ltd.  
17 Of the 380 MW, GPL accounts for 148 MW (104.3 MW heavy fuel oil; 43.7 MW diesel fired), and 
GuySuCo 76 MW, of which 55.5 MW is from bagasse. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 54 - 
 
  grid. Guyana does not import or export electricity, although the authorities indicate that 
discussions are ongoing for the development of a large hydropower project within the Mazaruni 
region mainly for exporting electricity to Brazil.  
4.44.  The transmission and distribution of electr icity through the national grid continues to be 
affected by losses, though they have been re duced from 34% in 2009 to 30.9% in 2014 (technical 
losses estimated at 14.4%; commercial losses at 16.5%).  
4.45.  The electricity price for non-government residential customers is between G$43.6 and 
G$48.4 per kWh. The price is G$48.0–G$56.8 per kWh for industrial users, and G$62.9 per KWh 
for commercial users.18  
4.46.  Regulatory and policy-making responsibility for the electricity sector is under the Office of 
the Prime Minister: this includes granting lice nces, approving development and expansion plans, 
and approving operating standards for the principle electricity supplier. The Public Utilities 
Commission is charged with monitoring and enforcing licensees' commitments, as well as approving tariffs charged by public suppliers. The Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), established under 
the Guyana Energy Agency Act 1997, advises the O ffice of the Prime Minister on various matters 
related to energy; this includes the promotion of solar photovoltaic systems.
19  
4.47.  The main law governing the electricity sector is the Electricity Sector Reform Act 1991, as 
amended. This Act sets out inter alia  the conditions under which licences may be granted for the 
generation and provision of electricity. All electricity suppliers must be licensed, with the exception of suppliers authorized prior to the entering into force of the Act or exempt by ministerial orders.
20 
In addition, individuals and businesses owning generating equipment and supplying only to 
themselves do not require a licence. Licensing requirements for the generation and supply of 
hydro-electric power are set out in the Hydroelectric Power Act. This Act vests the State with ownership of all water power that can be used to generate electricity. Licences to use water to 
generate electricity are granted by the President;  they may set out the price at which electricity 
may be sold, subject to review every five years. Li cences may be granted for an initial period of up 
to 50 years, and may be renewed for an additional  p e riod  of up  to 5 0  years . Ac c ord in g  to the 
authorities, a review of the legal and regulatory environment under which GPL operates is ongoing.  
4.48.  Electricity supplied by the GPL is zero-r ated for VAT, as is machinery or equipment for 
generating electricity from non-traditional sources for household purposes.  
4.49.  The Electricity Sector Reform (Amendment) Act 2010
21 entered into force on 
7 September 2010 with a view to: improving the regu lation of the public utilities; expanding the 
scope of the Electricity Sector Reform Act to cater for various forms of electricity theft; increasing the penal sanctions against perpetrators of such acts; increasing the scope for prosecution for 
violations under the Act, particularly electricity theft; increasing the reporting requirements of the 
power utility to the Minister and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), including the requirement for a fifteen-year demand forecast horizon and plans to meet same; and making it easier for 
independent power producers (IPPs) whose main business is not the generation of electricity, and 
whose excess power for sale to public suppliers is not more than 10 MW.
22 
4.50.  The Public Utilities Commission (Amendment) Act 2010 also entered into force on 
7 September 2010.23 The Act amended the Public Utilities Commission Act 1999 with a view inter 
alia to: providing for greater transparency and consultation in the appointment of commissioners; 
increasing the capacity of the Commission to investigate public utilities; strengthening consumers' complaint resolution process and procurement proc ess; and deterring violations of the Act. The 
amendment also empowers the Commission to issue orders resolving consumer complaints within 
                                               
18 GPL online information. Viewed at : http://www.gplinc.ne t/domestic/rates. 
19 GEA (2013) 
20 Electricity Sector Reform Act, Cap. 57:01, Section 4. 
21 GPL online information. Viewed at: 
http://www.gplinc.net/sites/default/files/Uplo aded%20Files/ESRA%20Amend ment_Act%2017%20of%202010_
0.pdf. 
22 This is to enable IPPs to sell their excess power to a public supplier; the selling rates do not require 
PUC approvals.  
23 PUC online information. Viewed at: 
http://www.puc.org.gy/pucdocs/AboutUs/PUC%20Amend%20Act%202010.pdf . WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 55 - 
 
  120 days of filing of a complaint and to make such  orders binding on consumers and public utilities 
(Section 52 of the principal Act).  
4.51.  Other changes in legislation in the sector during the period under review included the 
adoption of the Public Electricity Supply (Amendment) Regulations 2010 and Electricity Sector 
(Technical Standards) Regulations 2010.  
4.3.2  Petroleum 4.52.  There is no commercial production of oil in Guyana, which is entirely dependent on imports 
for its oil supply. In 2014, Guyana's imports of petroleum-based fuels amounted to about 30% of 
total imports. Guyana does not have its own oil refinery. Imports are marked by the GEA to identify that they have been imported legitimate ly, and a marking fee of G$0.60 per litre must be 
paid by the importer. The GEA must also be advi sed of the arrival and movement of all imported 
petroleum products.
24  
4.53.  Guyana is party to the Petrocaribe Energy Co-operation agreement. Under the agreement, 
Guyana benefits from long-term financing based on a sliding-scale formula. As the price of 
petroleum products varies from US$15 to US$150 per barrel, Guyana pays between 100% and 
30% of the value of the shipment in cash, and the remainder is converted into financing at an interest rate of between 1% and 2% over a 17- to 25-year period. 
4.54.  A licence from the GGMC is required to engage in petroleum exploration. Petroleum 
prospecting licences are granted for an initial period of four years. Licences may be renewed twice, each for a period of three years. Petroleum production licences are for 20 years; licences are renewable for periods of 10 years. Licences may not be granted to individuals unless they are 
citizens of Guyana, but may be granted to foreign or domestic corporations. Decisions to grant 
licences for the production of petroleum take into account several factors, including the applicant's proposals for the employment and training of citize ns of Guyana, and proposals with respect to the 
procurement of goods and services obtainable within Guyana. A few companies have received 
exploration licences and are currently operating. 
4.4  Manufacturing 
4.55.  In 2013, manufacturing (including food processing) accounted for 6.7% to GDP. Guyana is a 
net importer of manufactured goods. In 2014, Guyana's imports of manufactured products (based on SITC Rev.3 nomenclature) accounted for 53.2% of the value of total imports. Guyana's main imports were machinery and transport equipmen t: principally non-electrical machinery, 
automotive products and other transport equipmen t, and office machines and telecommunications 
equipment. In the same year, Guyana's exports of manufactured products accounted for 10.4% of the value of total exports: the main items we re machinery and transport equipment (mainly 
containers), and semi-manufactured products (m ainly wood and unmounted diamonds). Although 
the Government's assistance to manufacturing appears to be limited in absolute terms, some activities potentially receive significant effectiv e protection due to impo rt duty exemptions for 
inputs. Despite this, the manufacturing sector remains small and largely focussed on the 
processing of primary products.  
4.56.  According to the ISIC Rev.2 definition, the simple average applied MFN tariff rate for 
manufacturing was 11.4% in 2014, with rates ranging from zero to 100%. The simple average 
bound tariff was 56.3%, with rate s ranging from 50% to 100%. 
4.57.  The main manufacturing produce include traditional agricultural products such as rice and 
sugar, forest products, and minerals (bauxite, gold, and diamonds), as well as the production of 
basic consumer items, food and beverages, and ph armaceuticals. There has, however, also been a 
recent drive to develop export-orientated manufacturing industries, taking advantage of preferential access to third markets. New areas include: garment and apparel manufacturing; 
                                               
24 These provisions are set out in the Guyana En ergy Agency (Amendment) Act, No. 3 of 2004. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 56 - 
 
  value-added forest products; agri-processing; packaging, leather crafts; ceramics; and 
construction materials.25  
4.58.  The Industry Department of the Ministry for Tourism, Industry and Commerce is responsible 
for promoting industrial development and the mana gement of industrial estates with the overall 
aim of encouraging investment in manufacturing. The Guyana Manufacturing and Services 
Association, a private organization, provides policy advocacy, marketing, and technical assistance to manufacturing firms; it has committees that discuss issues relating to agri-processing, textiles 
and sewn goods, printing and packaging, co nstruction and engineering, chemicals and 
pharmaceuticals, forestry and wood products and services.  
4.59.  Under the Customs and Excise Act, manuf acturing inputs that undergo a substantial 
transformation or change in their essential character are exempt from import tariffs. Guyana offers 
tariff concessions on inputs used in a numb er of approved manufacturing activities.  
4.60.  To assist the development of manufacturing, the Government offers various specific tax 
incentives for the production and export of ma nufactured goods (Table 4.5), in addition to 
horizontal incentives. 
Table 4.5 Fiscal incentives to manufacturing industries, 2014 
Legislation Incentives offered 
Customs 
Act Exemption from customs duties for materials used to manufacture spirits, beer, cider, and wine; 
and materials not obtainable or manufactured in Guyana considered to be raw materials and packaging materials for use in the manufacture of goods by ma nufacturers and small businesses
 
Exemption from general export duty rate of 1.5% 
VAT Act Zero-rating of specifically locally produced manufactured goods: jams, jellies and peanut butter; 
bed sheets, pillow cases, towels, rags, curtains , handkerchiefs, rugs, mats, table covers, shelf 
covers, blankets and ribbons; and locally produced garments  
 Zero-rating of a large variety other manufact ured goods (both import ed and domestically 
produced) Zero-rating of raw materials to be used in th e production of goods subsequently exported, 
provided the taxable person exports 50% of production 
Source: Customs Act Cap. 82:01 and VAT Act No. 10, 2005. Viewed at: http://www.revenuegy.org/laws.php. 
4.5  Services 
4.5.1  Main features 4.61.  Services accounted for 60.4% of Guyana's GDP in 2013. The main subsectors identified in 
the national economic statistics are distribution , transport and communications, engineering and 
construction, and government services. 
4.62.  Guyana's GATS commitments have remained  unchanged since its previous Review. No list 
of MFN exemptions has been presented. In the DD A negotiations, Guyana has submitted an initial 
conditional offer in the services negotiations, cove ring business services, distribution services, and 
transport services.  
4.63.  Provisions for the liberalization of servic es within the CARICOM are contained in Chapter 3 
of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.
26 The Guyanese authorities state that in practice Guyana 
maintained virtually no restrictions on the provision of services by CARICOM nationals.  
4.64.  The Caribbean Community (Movement of Fa ctors) Act, No. 7 of 2006, gives nationals of 
CARICOM member states the right to provide services in Guyana without discrimination on the 
grounds of nationality. Incremental steps have also been taken towards the stated goal of free 
movement of CARICOM nationals (Chapter 3, Ar ticle 45 of the Revised Treaty), and this may 
encourage intra-CARICOM trade in services through the presence of natural persons (mode 4). 
Nine groups of persons are currently permitted to work and reside in any of the CSME member 
states without a work permit: university graduate s, media workers, sports persons, artists, 
                                               
25 Go-Invest online information. Viewed at: ht tp://goinvest.gov.gy/sectors/manufacturing. 
26 Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas. Viewed at: http://www.caricom.org/jsp/community/revised_treaty-
text.pdf . WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 57 - 
 
  musicians, qualified artisans, non-graduate qualified teachers, and nurses, and holders of 
associate degrees and their equivalents. The Caribbean Community (Free Entry of Skilled Nationals) Act implements these requirements in Guyana with respect to skilled nationals who are holders of university degrees
27, and an order made under the Immigration Act (No. 17 of 2003) 
implements this requirement with respect to some of the other categories of skilled nationals, but 
only from certain CARICOM countries.  
4.5.2  Financial services 
4.65.  During the period under Review, Guyana adopted inter alia : the Credit Reporting Act of 
2010 with a view to improving competitiveness by establishing a credit reporting system; and the 
Money Transfer Agencies (Licensing) Act 2009. In 2013, a credit bureau was licensed to operate under the Credit Reporting Act 2010.  
4.66.  Foreign financial institutions wishing to establish themselves in Guyana receive national 
treatment. All banking, insurance, and other financial institutions must be licensed by the Bank of Guyana.  
4.67.  Guyana has one stock exchange, where shar es of 17 companies are traded. The authorities 
state that corporate bond market is not well developed in Guyana.  
4.68.  In December 2014, the financial sector's total assets were equivalent to 130.1% of 
Guyana's GDP. More than half (50.9%) of the tota l assets were held by commercial banks, 18.1% 
by non-bank financial intermediaries, 5.9% by insurance companies, and 25.1% by the Bank of 
Guyana. As at end-2014, the credit to deposit ratio was around 60%; there were 39 bank branches in Guyana. The commercial banks' interest rate spreads between the small savings rate 
and the prime lending rate is around 11.6%. The spread between the weighted average time 
deposit rate and the weighted average lending rate was 9.66% at end-December 2014.
28 In 2014, 
total gross insurance premiums were equivalent to about 5% of GDP.  
4.69.  As at end-2014, Guyana's financial system comprised mainly six commercial banks, sixteen 
insurance companies, six licenced non-bank financial institutions, eighteen licensed foreign currency dealers, and five money transfer agenci es. Currently, there are two trust companies, an 
investment company, a stockbroker, a merchant bank, and a building society. Three of the 
commercial banks are controlled by Guyanese investors and the other three by foreign banks; there were neither mergers nor acquisitions am ong banks during the period under review. The 
Government has no shares in the banks. The three largest banks hold about three fourths of the 
banking system assets.  
4.70.  The authorities state that the share of no n-performing loans to total loans increased from 
around 6.0% in 2013 to 8.6% in 2014. 
4.5.2.1  Banking 
4.71.  The Bank of Guyana is responsible for defining Guyana's banking sector policy. Under the 
Bank of Guyana Act 1998, the Financial Institut ions Act 1995, and, from 2010, the New Building 
Society (Amendment) Act 2010, the Bank of Guyana has statutory responsibility for issuing 
banking regulations and authorizing and supervising all licensed financial institutions in Guyana. Under the Bank of Guyana Act, the Bank of Guyana is required to advise the Government on any matter within the jurisdiction of the Bank.  
4.72.  The Financial Institutions Act states th at any company that seeks to provide financial 
services in Guyana must obtain a licence from the Bank of Guyana. The Act distinguishes between licences to conduct "banking business" or "financial business". The former category of licence 
allows for the acceptance of demand deposits and their use to extend credit, while the latter does 
not. A holder of a "banking business" licence (a bank) may also conduct any "financial business" subject to the provisions of the Act.  
                                               
27 Caribbean Community (Free Entry of Skilled Nationals) Act, Cap. 93:02. 
28 The interest rate spread has been calculated using commercial  banks' prime lending rate and 
3-months deposit rate. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 58 - 
 
  4.73.  Every non-bank financial institution requires an authorization from the Bank of Guyana to 
open a new place of business in Guyana, for which it must pay a fee. The minimum paid-up capital 
required of a non-bank financial institution that accepts any type of deposit, whether incorporated 
in Guyana or abroad, is G$250 million. The parent company of a foreign branch or subsidiary must 
have paid-up capital of at least G$2.5 billion in its home country. Non-bank financial institutions of 
any kind are not allowed to grant loans, advances, financial guarantees, or other extensions of credit and other liabilities in excess of 25% of thei r capital base to a single individual or 40% for a 
single borrower group with inter-dependent incomes.  
4.74.  No shareholder is permitted to hold more than 25% of the shares of any licensed financial 
institution (LFI) (including via merger or acquisition) unless authorized by the Bank of Guyana; the only exception is a capital expansion of the LFI in which the shareholder already had ownership 
control.  As defined in the Act the shareholder must be a person "fit and proper" to conduct 
financial business in Guyana; there are no nationality requirements. After obtaining the appropriate licence, a foreign bank may establish a branch or a subsidiary, but not a 
representative office; a foreign subsidia ry must be incorporated in Guyana.  
4.75.  In general, an LFI that accepts deposits ma y not engage, directly or indirectly, in wholesale 
or retail trade, including foreign trade. Additionally, it may not own shares of a single commercial 
company in excess of 25% of its own capital base.  
4.76.  On 28 June 2013, the Bank of Guyana issu ed a guideline concerning anti-money laundering 
and countering the financing of terrorism under  the authority of Section 22 (2) (b) of the 
Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Fina ncing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Act 2009 and 
Section 19 (1) of the AML/CFT Regulations 2010. The Guideline also provides guidance on what is 
required to implement an adequate AML/CFT complia nt risk-based framework within each financial 
institution.
29  
4.77.  Domestic banks, corporations or individu als are free to make deposits with foreign banks 
located abroad, but they must obtain permission fr om the Ministry of Finance before borrowing in 
foreign currency from foreign banks located abroad. Only authorized cambio  dealers and exporters 
may maintain and operate a foreign currency account in a bank in Guyana.  
4.78.  Foreign investment is open in the banking sector. There is no deposit insurance scheme in 
Guyana.  
4.5.2.2  Insurance 
4.79.  The Insurance Act 1998 and its regulations form the legal framework that governs insurance 
services in Guyana. The Bank of Guyana regulate s and supervises the insurance sector; with the 
entering into force of the Insurance (Supplementa ry Provisions) Act 2009, the role of the previous 
regulator, the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, was taken over by the Bank. The Act 
requires all insurance companies, br okers, and agents to be registered with the Bank of Guyana if 
they intend to provide insurance services, including cross-border supply of insurance services to 
Guyanese residents. Pursuant to Section 94 of the Act, the evaluation of an agent's qualification 
for registration is delegated to the Insurance Association of Guyana. 
4.80.  Underwriting insurance may be conducted on ly by companies or associations of underwriters 
registered in Guyana. Only companies or partnerships in Guyana may act as brokers; no 
controller, officer or employee of an insurance company may apply for registration as a broker. 
Any company, including foreign companies, may a pply for registration with the Bank of Guyana. 
The application form must be accompanied by an application fee of G$250,000 (some US$1,250). 
4.81.  The Insurance (Company Registration) Regulations 2007 prescribe the procedures for 
registration to conduct insurance businesses. Unde r the Insurance Act, there are two main groups 
of classes: long-term insurance business and general insurance business.30 A company may 
                                               
29 Bank of Guyana online information. Viewed at: www.bankofguyana.org.gy/bog/legal-regulatory-
framework/supervision-guidelines. 
30 Long-term insurance business classes are: gene ral life, health, and pensions. General insurance 
business classes are: accident and liabilit y, auto, marine and aviation, and fire. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 59 - 
 
  register under any number of classes, but are required to keep separate accounts for each class of 
insurance activities in which they engage.  
4.82.  Companies applying for registration are required to deposit: G$5 million (some US$25,000) 
per class of business in the case of a long-ter m insurance business; or 20% of the net premium 
income of the insurer during the financial year prec eding the deposit, or G$5 million if greater, in 
the case of any class of general insurance business. As at end-2014, there were ten general insurers, and five companies offering long-term insurance.
31 While Guyana's legislation does not 
preclude composite insurers, the sole existing composite insurer is in the process of being wound 
up as per court order dated 25 September 2010.  
4.83.  The Bank of Guyana may prohibit a registered company from writing new policies in any 
class of insurance business if it is in the interest of the policy-holders or prospective policy-holders 
to do so. The company must receive prior notifica tion from the Bank and may appeal the decision. 
Disputes and complaints are handled by the Insurance Arbitration Board, which comprises a representative from the Bank of Guyana, a repres entative of the Insurance Association of Guyana, 
and a representative of the insurance brokers. Deci sions of the Board may be appealed to the High 
Court. 
4.84.  While Section 2 (m) of the Insurance Act defines insurance business to include reinsurance 
business, there is no other legislation concerning the provision of insurance services offered by 
reinsurers.  
4.85.  The Bank of Guyana is committed to adopting the principles of the International Association 
of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), and, as a memb er of the Caribbean Association of Insurance 
Regulators, is committed to ensuring regulatory harmonization within the CARICOM. 
4.5.3  Telecommunications 4.86.  Guyana's telecommunication sector is characterized by a de jure  monopoly in fixed 
telephony and a de facto  duopoly in mobile telephony. Guyana's principal telecommunications 
operator, Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Co. Ltd. (GT&T), is controlled by Atlantic Tele-Network Inc. (ATN), a private company based in the Unit ed States. ATN owns 80% of GT&T's shares; the 
remaining 20%, which was formerly owned by the Government until 2012-13, has been sold to the 
private sector (section 3.3.3). GT&T has de jure  monopoly over fixed telephony and international 
voice and data transmissions.
32 With a view inter alia  to reflect recent developments in global 
telecommunications environment, the Government has recently been trying to renegotiate the de 
facto monopoly licence accorded to the GT&T. In the mobile telephony market, there are two 
companies, GT&T and Digicel. 
4.87.  The authorities consider that the current regulatory framework governing the sector 
remains inadequate, and this continues to affect the development of the sector and of other 
telecom-dependant businesses. Acknowledging the importance of addressing this problem, the 
Government has been taking steps to issue new legislation supporting a more liberalized 
telecommunications sector.  
4.88.  In 2013, information and communication services accounted for about 4.5% of GDP in 
Guyana.  
4.89.  During the period under Review, the teledensity rate of fixed lines in Guyana grew to 
approximately 20.6% compared with around 18% in 2008.33 Over the same period, the number of 
mobile subscriptions also increased, and the penetration rate reached approximately 79%. The 
authorities indicate that the current penetration rate for internet users is estimated at around 
15-20%.  
4.90.  The Public Utilities Commission (PUC), wh ich reports to the Office of the President, is 
responsible for regulating telecom operators, with respect to inter alia  tariffs, interconnection, 
                                               
31 Information provided by the authorities of Guyana.  
32 Guyana does not have any GATS commitments regarding telecommunications. 
33 WTO (2009). WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 60 - 
 
  expansion programmes, investigating and dealing with complaints from aggrieved consumers, and 
the quality of service offered. Numbering and sp ectrum management are under the responsibility 
of the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU).34  
4.91.  The Telecommunications Act of 1990, as amended, establishes the regulation of 
telecommunication services and broadcasting transmitted via cable.35  
4.92.  Under the Act, every company is required to obtain a licence before providing any telecom 
or cable programming services; a licence to use the radio-electric spectrum is also required. The 
Act does not distinguish between domestic and fore ign applicants. The duration and the details of 
each licence are determined on a case-by-case  basis. GT&T, for example, was granted an 
exclusive licence with respect to the provision of public fixed telephony and all international voice transmission services for a period of 20 years from December 2010.
36  
4.93.  Telecom operators are obliged to submit their end-user rates for approval by the PUC. 
During the review period, the PUC received compla ints regarding unfair practices by each of the 
mobile operators. The Telecommunications Act does not have provisions on the interconnection of 
public telecom services. Nevertheless, GT&T's licence requires it to negotiate with other providers 
on interconnection, and the PUC under the PUC Act may determine the terms and conditions of interconnection.  
4.94.  Guyana's current legislation does no t require the unbundling of the local loop. The 
authorities state that Guyana allows the provision of international call-back services.  
4.95.  Under its licence, GT&T is responsible for ensuring universal fixed telephony services in 
Guyana The PUC has the authority to impose fines in  this respect. The authorities state that GT&T 
did not meet universal service targets during the review period due mainly to geographical 
structure of the interior locations. 
4.5.4  Transport 
4.96.  Transport and storage accounted for 7.0% of GDP in 2013. No data on employment in the 
transport sector are available.  
4.5.4.1  Air transport 
4.97.  Air transport is under the responsibility of the Minister of Public Works. The Guyana Civil 
Aviation Authority (GCAA), which reports to the Mini stry, is responsible for aviation regulation, air 
transport management, air navigation services, and safety. Safety and security oversight support at the regional level is provided by the Caribbean  Aviation Safety and Security Oversight System 
(CASSOS). CASSOS's functions are to assist CARI COM State parties to be compliant with ICAO 
standards and practices, and facilitate and promote the harmonization of civil aviation regulations, 
standards, practices and procedures.  
4.98.  The main law governing the air transport sector in Guyana is the Civil Aviation Act (2000); 
there were no changes to the Act during the review period.  
4.99.  The Act gives the GCAA responsibility for re gulating the sector. The authorities note that the 
Civil Aviation Act and relevant regulations are being reviewed, particularly with a view to meeting 
internationally-established safety standards in civil aviation, and according stronger enforcement authority to the GCAA. Since 2012, the review has given a particular focus on: (i) opening up the 
sector; (ii) improving safety standards; and (iii) in vesting in the sector to improve infrastructure to 
assure safety and facilitate commercial interests of investors.  
                                               
34 NFMU online information. Viewed at: http://www.nfmu.gov.gy/site . 
35 Other broadcasting services are governed by the Post and Telegraph Act of 1894 (Cap. 47:01). 
36 GT&T was granted an exclusive licence with respect to public fixed telephony in 1990 for a period of 
20 years with an option for another 20 years thereafter. GT&T chose to exercise that right in 2010 for another 
20 years. Before renewing the licens e, the Government drafted a new Te lecommunications Reform bill aimed 
at opening the telecom sector to competition. The bill was abandoned in September 2011 shortly before the 
national elections, but was again brought under consideration in 2014. It includes provisions to fund a Universal Services Fund through a ta x on telecom providers’ revenues. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 61 - 
 
  4.100.  The Government does not have a stake in any domestic airline. There are eleven 
commercial domestic carriers37, two serve international and domestic routes and nine serve only 
domestic routes. While Guyana's laws do not restrict cabotage, it is not permitted under any of the bilateral air services agreements to which Guyana is a party.  
4.101.  Guyana is party to the CARICOM multilateral air services agreement (MASA), which confers 
third and fourth freedom route rights to airlines owned and operated by Caribbean nationals. Fifth 
freedom traffic rights are also allowed under the MASA. The CARICOM MASA stipulates that a 
member state shall not be required to grant cabotage rights to a CARICOM air carrier of another 
member state. A revision of the CARICOM MASA is currently being negotiated. 
4.102.  Guyana has bilateral air services agreem ents with Brazil, Canada, Cuba, France, Kuwait, 
Turkey, the United States (Table 4.6).  
4.103.  Negotiations of bilateral air services agreements were finalized with Canada (a new 
agreement
38), Chile, China, Curaçao, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Norway, Qatar, 
Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and the Unit ed Kingdom. With the exception of Norway, all 
of these agreements are provisionally applied and administratively applicable until the formal 
agreements are signed at by the respective governments.39 The authorities maintain that Guyana's 
policy for negotiating air services agreements is to grant up to sixth freedom traffic rights for 
passenger traffic and up to sevent h freedom for all cargo traffic. 
Table 4.6 Key feature of air services agreement, 2014 
Partner/ 
Signature 
5th 
7th 
Cabotage 
Ownership 
Tariffs 
Capacity 
Designation 
Code sharing 
Exch. of stats 
Brazil, 1974 Yes No No  Soec Double approval  Pre-determination Single No  Yes 
Canada, 2005 Yes No No Soec Double disapproval  Pre-determination Multi Yes Yes 
CARICOM member states, 
1996 Yes No No  Soec Double disapproval  Flexible  Multi No  Yes 
Cuba, 1973 Yes No No Soec Double approval  Bermuda II Single No Yes 
France, 1974 Yes No No  Soec Double approval  Bermuda II Single No  Yes 
Kuwait, 2010 Yes No No Soec Double approval  Flexible  Multi Yes Yes 
United States, 2013 Yes Yes No  Soec Double disapproval  Flexible  Multi No  No 
Turkey, 2014 Yes No No Ppb/erc  Double disapproval  Flexible  Multi Yes No 
China, 2014 Yes No No  Soec Double disapproval  Pre-determination Two Yes  No 
Kenya, 2014 Yes No No Soec Double disapproval  Flexible  Multi Yes No 
Curaçao Yes Yes No  Soec Double disapproval  Flexible  Multi No  Yes 
Singapore, 2014 Yes Yes No Soec Double disapproval  Pre-determination Multi Yes Yes 
Ghana, 2014 Yes No No  Ppb/erc  Double disapproval  Pre-determination Multi Yes  Yes 
United Kingdom, 2014 Yes No No Soec Double disapproval  Pre-determination Multi Yes No 
Norway, 2014 Yes No No  Soec Double disapproval  Pre-determination Multi Yes  No 
The Netherlands, 2014 Yes No No Soec Double disapproval  Flexible  Multi Yes No 
Iceland, 2014 Yes Yes No  Soec Double disapproval  Flexible  Multi Yes  No 
Qatar, 2014 Yes No No Soec Double disapproval  Flexible  Multi Yes No 
Canada, 2014 Yes No No  Soec Double disapproval  Flexible  Multi Yes  No 
Nigeria, 2014 Yes No No Soec Double disapproval  Pre-determination Multi No Yes 
United Arab Emirates, 2014 Yes No No  Soec Double disapproval  Flexible  Multi Yes  No 
Chile, 2015 Yes No No Soec Double disapproval  Flexible  Multi Yes No 
Note: Soec = Substantial owne rship and effective control. 
 Erc  = effective regulatory control  Ppb = principal place of business 
Source: Information provided by the authorities of Guyana. 
                                               
37 The ten licenced domestic carriers are: Trans Gu yana Airways, Roraima Airways, Jags Aviation, 
Air Services Ltd., Oxford Aviation, Hinterland Aviation  Inc., Domestic Airways Inc., Fenix Airways, Golden 
Arrow Airways, and Guyana Defence Force.  
38 The new bilateral air services agreement with Canada  is to replace the existing one (signed in 2005), 
which is more restrictive than the new agreement.  
39 This means that traffic rights allowable under the agreements can be immediately accessed by the 
bilateral parties to the agreements.   WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  4.104.  Guyana's main international airport is Cheddi Jagan International Airport, situated close to 
Georgetown. It is Guyana's main hub for passenger and cargo transportation, handling around 0.48 million passengers and around 6,100 tonnes of cargo in 2014. The second largest airport is the Ogle Aerodrome, which has become Guyana's second international airport in 2013; it handled 
around 0.2 million passengers and around 8,200 tonnes of cargo in 2014. Guyana has 
120 additional airstrips offering frequent non-scheduled and scheduled services; all of them are 
owned by the Government.  
4.105.  The Ministry of Public Works is responsible for operating national airports and airstrips with 
the exception of the Cheddi Jagan International Ai rport and the Ogle Aerodrome. The Cheddi Jagan 
airport is managed by the Cheddi Jagan Internat ional Airport Corporation (CJIAC); its Board of 
Directors reports to the Ministry of Public Works.
40 The Ogle Aerodrome was leased by the 
Government in 2001 to a private, wholly-owned Guyanese company, Ogle Airport Inc., for a period 
of 25 years, renewable upon request. Under the Civ il Aviation Act, the Minister is authorized to 
approve the establishment and operation of aerodromes by private persons.  
4.106.  The authorities state that there is enough capacity to cover the demand for airport usage, 
which is currently on a first-come first-served basis.  
4.107.  While all ground-handling as well as aircra ft repair and maintenance services are currently 
provided by domestic private operators, the authorities state that foreign participation in the 
provision of these services is allowed. There is no market access restriction in the supply of computer reservation systems.  
4.5.4.2  Maritime transport 
4.108.  The authorities indicate that, in terms of  volume, around 85% of Guyana's international 
trade is carried by maritime transport. The Minist ry of Public Works has the overall responsibility 
for the sector. The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) is responsible for: 
(i) administering the provisions of the Shipping Act and any other laws relating to maritime affairs; 
(ii) control, improvement, and regulation of Gu yana's harbours and their approaches; and (iii) 
maintaining a pilotage service. The Government is currently reviewing the Act and related 
regulations to bring them more up to date.  
4.109.  Guyana is a member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and participates in a 
number of maritime conferences administered by the IMO.  
4.110.  The authorities indicate that Guyana-registered ships have not participated in any liner 
conferences.  
4.111.  The authorities state that Guyana does not have specific measures or incentives to 
encourage registration of ships in Guyana. 
4.112.  The Guyana Shipping Act 1998 provides th e legal framework for maritime services in 
Guyana, including registration and licensing of ships, flagging, the manning of ships, the welfare of seamen, navigation and safety, regulation of ca rgo, wrecks and salvage, and legal proceedings. 
The registration and licensing of ships in Guyana is limited to Guyanese citizens, residents, and 
companies established and with their principle place of business in Guyana, as well CARICOM citizens under certain conditions. The Minister may, by order, allow otherwise non-qualified persons to own a Guyanese ship; the authorities state that no such orders have been issued. As at 
22 April 2015, Guyana had 796 registered Guyana-f lagged vessels: 93 are over 500 gross tonnes. 
Cabotage is generally restricted to Guyana-flagged ships.
41 
4.113.  Trade between Guyana's ports and within waters under Guyana's jurisdiction is restricted 
to Guyana-registered ships. The cabotage restrictio n is subject to regulations, exemptions, or any 
bilateral or multilateral treaty or agreement, al though the restriction has not been lifted under any 
                                               
40 The Ministry was renamed in 2011 from the Ministry of Public Works and Communications. 
41 The cabotage and ownership provisions are set out in Part VI, Section 11 and Part III, Section 10 of 
the Shipping Act.  WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 63 - 
 
  of these circumstances. Guyana is obliged to extend cabotage rights to CARICOM citizens upon 
request; the authorities state that they have received no such request.  
4.114.  Georgetown is Guyana's main port; the land and berths are mostly privately owned. State 
entities own facilities at four ports. The port at  Linden is privately owned and operated. Most cargo 
is transported in and out of Guyana through the Georgetown Port, with the exception of bauxite, 
which is mainly exported from the Port of New Amsterdam in Berbice. The authorities recognize a need to improve the quality of harbours and welcome investment, domestic or foreign.  
4.115.  The Transport and Harbours Act sets out the various shipping-related levies imposed; 
these include tonnage dues (applicable to only th e international traffic), light dues, and shipping 
fees.
42 The National Assembly may increase these fees by resolution and the new rates must be 
published in the Gazette . Coasting vessels are exempt from the tonnage tax.43 Pilotage fees are 
set by the Minister.  
4.116.  No specific FDI restrictions exist in port services. Nonetheless, certain maritime transport 
services must be provided uniquely by the Governme nt; they are: pilotage (which is compulsory at 
the Georgetown, New Amsterdam and Essequibo Pilotage Districts); aids to navigation; dredging; 
and hydrographic services. All other port operat ions are undertaken by private operators. The 
authorities note that the prices of port services are not controlled. 
4.5.5  Professional services 
4.5.5.1  Legal services 4.117.  Since its previous review, there has been little change in laws and regulations concerning 
qualifications to practice legal services in Guyana. Admission to practice as attorneys-at-law as 
well as their professional behaviour is regulate d by the Legal Practitioners Act, which was last 
amended in 2010. In order to practice law in Guyana , it is necessary to be a national of Guyana 
and hold a Legal Education Certificate, or obtain a special authorization. A petition to be admitted 
to the bar must be made to the High Court. For foreign lawyers to practice in Guyana, the Minister 
of Legal Affairs must make an order to this effect, and reciprocal access by Guyanese lawyers to practice in the respective country is required; the authorities state that no such order has been 
made to date. In such cases, foreign lawyers must either hold a Legal Education Certificate, or 
must have suitable qualifications and competence. If a person is refused admission to practice law, an appeal may be made to the Court of Appeal.  
4.118.  Non-CARICOM Commonwealth nationals are required to have their qualifications reviewed 
by the Council of Legal Education, and undergo a six-month period of training at one of the 
regional law schools. Non-Commonwealth nationals are required to have their qualifications reviewed by the Council of Legal Education to dete rmine the amount of retraining they would be 
required to undergo.  
4.5.5.2  Accountancy services 4.119.  Since its previous review, there has been little change in laws and regulations concerning 
qualifications to practice accounting services in Guyana. The accountancy profession is regulated 
by the Institute of Chartered Accountants Act, which establishes a Council of the Institute to 
undertake this work. Membership of the Institute is open to Guyanese citizens. The Council also 
has the discretion to extend membership to person s who are members of an approved professional 
accountancy body.
44 According to the authorities, reciprocity is not a condition for approval.  
                                               
42 Shipping fees are charged for enga gement and disengag ement of crews. 
43 The Transport and Harbours Act Cap. 49:04. 
44 Approved bodies include: the Institute of Chartere d Accountants in England and Wales; Institute of 
Chartered Accountants in Ireland; Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland; Canadian Institute of 
Chartered Accountants; Association of Chartered Certifie d Accountants U.K.; American Institute of Certified 
Public Accountants; and the Certifie d General Accountants of Canada.  WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 64 - 
 
  4.120.  Under the Companies Act, company auditors must be a member of the Institute of 
Chartered Accountants of Guyana, or be authorized  by the Minister on the basis that they are 
suitably qualified and that they were in practice in Guyana as an auditor at the time of commencement of the Companies Act. Members of the Institute are not required to be resident in 
Guyana, or undertake a period of training or work in Guyana. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 65 - 
 
  REFERENCES 
Bank of Guyana (2014b), Quarterly Report & Statistical Bulletin 2014 Q3 Vol. 8 No. 2. Viewed at: 
http://www.bankofguyana.org.gy/bog/economic-fin ancial-framework/publications/qtrly-report-
statistical-bulletin. 
 
Bank of Guyana (2014), Annual Report 2013. Viewed at: http://www.bankofguyana.org.gy/bog/economic-fin ancial-framework/publications/annual-reports. 
 
GEA (2013), Guyana Energy Agency 2013 Annual Report. Viewed at: http://www.gea.gov.gy/abo ut-us/annual-reports.  
Guyana Forestry Commission, Forest Sector Information Report January-June 2014. Online 
information. Viewed at: 
http://www.forestry.gov.gy/Downloads/Forest_Sec tor_Information_Report_January_to_June_2014
.pdf. 
Guyana National Bureau of Standards document, Standards Catalogue 2013-2015, 
December 2014. Viewed at: http://www.gnbsgy.org/PDF/facts heets/Catalogu e_2013_to_2015.pdf . 
IMF (2014) Guyana: Staff Report for the 2013 Article IV Consultation. 
UNCTAD (2014), World Investment Report 2014. Viewed at: 
http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/wir2014_en.pdf. 
World Bank Group (2015), Doing Business 2015, Economy Profile 2015: Guyana . Viewed at: 
http://www.doingbusiness.org/~/me dia/giawb/doing%20business/d ocuments/profiles/country/GU
Y.pdf. 
WTO (2003), Trade Policy Review of Guyana, Geneva. 
WTO (2009), Trade Policy Review of Guyana , Geneva. 
 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 66 - 
 
  5  APPENDIX TABLES 
Table A1.1 Merchandise exports and re-exports by HS Sections, 2009-14  
(US$ million and %) 
Description 2009  2010  2011  2012 2013 2014  
Total 788 901 1,049 1,045 1,376 1,147 
 (% of total exports and re-exports) 
Live animals; an imal products 6.9 5.6 5.2 7.4 6.6 6.5 
   03 - Fish and crustaceans 6.8 5.5 5.1 7.3 6.5 6.4 
Vegetable products 15.1 18.1 15.0 19.4 17.8 21.8 
   10 - Cereals 14.4 16.9 14.1 18.8 17.4 21.0 
Animal or vegetable fats and oils; prepared edible fats 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 
Prepared foodstuffs; beverages, spirits and vinegar; 
tobacco  20.8 15.7 21.0 21.6 12.8 21.0 
   17 - Sugars and sugar confectionery 
   22 - Beverages, spirits and vinegar 16.2 12.4 16.8 16.6 8.5 15.6 
3.5 2.2 3.4 4.1 3.3 4.4 
Mineral products 10.4 12.9 14.8 15.1 9.8 12.5 
   26 - Ores, slag and ash 10.2 12.7 14.4 14.8 9.7 12.4 
Products of the chemical or allied industries 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 
Plastics and articles thereof; rubber and articles thereof 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 
Raw hides and skins, leather, fur skins and articles 
thereof; travel goods, handbags; articles of animal gut 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal; cork and 
articles of cork 5.8 4.8 4.8 4.2 2.8 4.8 
   44 - Wood and articles of wood 5.8 4.8 4.8 4.2 2.8 4.8 
Pulp of wood or of other fibrous cellulosic material; 
paper and paperboard and articles thereof 0.4 0.4 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.2 
Textiles and textile articles 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.5 0.4 
Footwear, headgear, umbrellas; prepared feathers and 
articles; artificial flowers 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
Articles of stone, plaster, cement, etc.; ceramic 
products; glass and glassware 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious 
stones, precious metals 37.2 39.7 31.3 24.0 47.8 27.2 
   71 - Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-
precious stones, precious metals 37.2 39.7 31.3 24.0 47.8 27.2 
Base metals and articles of base metal 1.1 0.8 0.5 1.1 0.5 0.6 
Machinery and mechanical appliances; electrical 
equipment; television image and sound recorders 0.6 0.4 0.9 1.3 0.4 0.5 
Vehicles, aircraft, vessels and associated transport 
equipment 0.0 0.1 4.3 4.4 0.0 3.7 
   86 - Railway locomotives and equipment 0.0 0.0 4.1 4.2 0.0 3.6 
Optical, photographic, precision, medical or surgical 
instruments; clocks and watched; musical instruments 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
Arms and ammunition .. .. .. .. .. .. 
Miscellaneous manufactured articles 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
Works of art, collectors ' pieces and antiques 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
Source: WTO Secretariat, based on UNSD Comtrade database. 
 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  Table A1.2 Merchandise imports by HS Sections, 2009-14 
(US$ million and %)  
Description 2009  2010  2011  2012 2013 2014  
Total 1,175 1,452 1,684 1,878 1,866 1,745 
 (% of total imports) 
Live animals; an imal products 2.4 2.9 2.4 2.8 3.0 2.6 
04 - Dairy produce 2.4 2.8 2.3 2.6 2.8 2.4 
Vegetable products 4.0 4.7 4.3 4.1 3.9 4.2 
10 - Cereals 1.4 2.5 2.1 2.0 1.7 2.0 
Animal or vegetable fats and oils; prepared edible fats 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.8 
Prepared foodstuffs; beverages, spirits and vinegar; 
tobacco  7.4 6.8 7.2 7.1 7.2 7.6 
22 - Beverages, spirits and vinegar 
19 - Preparations of cereals,  flour, starch or milk 
21 - Miscellaneous edible preparations 
23 - Residues and wastes from the food industries 1.7 1.7 2.1 1.9 2.0 1.9 
1.4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.5 1.6 
1.2 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.1 
0.8 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.8 1.0 
Mineral products 27.9 31.3 30.8 28.2 34.0 32.9 
27 - Mineral fuels, mineral oi ls and products of their 
distillation 25 - Salt; sulphur; earths and stone 25.7 29.9 29.4 26.5 32.0 30.8 
2.0 1.4 1.4 1.7 2.0 2.0 
Products of the chemical or allied industries 11.9 9.8 8.5 7.7 8.7 7.5 
31 - Fertilisers 
30 - Pharmaceutical products 
34 - Soap, organic surface - active agents, washing 
preparations 1.7 2.5 1.7 1.7 2.8 1.9 
6.0 3.1 2.9 2.2 1.9 1.4 
1.1 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.3 
Plastics and articles ther eof; rubber and articles 
thereof 4.4 4.2 4.2 4.2 3.9 4.1 
39 - Plastics and articles thereof 
40 - Rubber and articles thereof 3.4 3.1 3.2 2.9 3.0 3.1 
1.0 1.0 1.0 1.3 0.9 1.0 
Raw hides and skins, leather, fur skins and articles 
thereof; travel goods, handbags; articles of animal gut 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 
Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal; cork and 
articles of cork 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 
Pulp of wood or of other fibrous cellulosic material; 
paper and paperboard and articles thereof 2.6 2.9 2.4 2.3 2.3 3.1 
48 - Paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp 2.0 2.1 1.7 1.7 1.9 2.4 
Textiles and textile articles 2.4 2.2 2.3 1.9 1.8 1.9 
Footwear, headgear, umbrellas; prepared feathers and 
articles; artificial flowers 0.7 0.9 0.5 0.8 0.6 0.6 
Articles of stone, plaster, cement, etc.; ceramic 
products; glass and glassware 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.5 
Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious 
stones, precious metals 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
Base metals and articles of base metal 4.9 5.2 5.0 4.9 5.2 5.4 
72 - Iron and steel 
73 - Articles of iron or steel 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.0 2.3 2.1 
1.6 1.8 1.6 1.8 1.9 2.1 
Machinery and mechanical appliances; electrical 
equipment; television image and sound recorders 19.9 16.9 20.5 22.7 17.5 17.4 
84 - Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and 
mechanical appliances 
85 - Electrical machinery and equipment 12.4 12.0 14.2 16.1 13.3 12.8 
7.5 4.9 6.2 6.5 4.2 4.6 
Vehicles, aircraft, vessels and associated transport 
equipment 7.0 7.4 7.1 8.5 7.4 7.2 
87 - Vehicles 6.8 6.7 6.7 7.8 7.0 6.9 
Optical, photographic, precision, medical or surgical 
instruments; clocks and watched; musical instruments 1.2 1.0 1.0 0.9 1.1 1.3 
90 - Optical, photographic instruments and 
apparatus 1.2 1.0 1.0 0.9 1.1 1.3 
Arms and ammunition 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 
Miscellaneous manufactured articles 1.1 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.6 
Works of art, collectors ' pieces and antiques 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
Source: WTO Secretariat, based on UNSD Comtrade database. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  Table A1.3 Merchandise exports and re-e xports by trading partner, 2009–14 
(US$ million and %) 
Description 2009  2010  2011  2012 2013 2014  
Total exports and re-exports 788 901 1,049 1,045 1,376 1,147 
 (% of exports and re-exports) 
America 63.4 70.1 69.1 68.9 77.7 66.0 
  United States 12.3 10.2 22.8 29.0 26.3 26.9 
  Other America 51.0 59.9 46.3 39.9 51.4 39.1 
     Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela 0.3 4.8 7.8 13.9 11.9 9.6 
     Canada 33.9 39.6 20.1 8.2 30.1 8.4 
     Jamaica 5.4 4.2 5.4 4.3 3.1 5.9 
     Trinidad and Tobago 3.9 3.5 5.0 5.4 2.2 4.6 
     Panama 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 1.8 
     Barbados 2.0 2.6 2.4 1.6 0.7 1.3 
     Nicaragua 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.1 
     Mexico 0.0 0.7 0.6 0.8 0.6 1.1 
     Suriname 0.6 0.6 1.0 2.1 0.8 0.9 
     St Lucia 0.6 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.2 0.9 
     Antigua and Barbuda 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.8 
     Haiti 1.5 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 
Europe 27.8 23.0 22.2 23.8 16.5 25.2 
    EU(28) 27.8 22.7 22.2 23.7 16.4 25.1 
      United Kingdom 14.2 5.3 8.7 11.4 8.5 12.1 
      Germany 0.9 1.3 5.9 5.7 0.6 5.5 
      Belgium 1.9 1.7 1.1 1.2 1.6 2.1 
      The Netherlands 4.2 3.3 2.5 2.9 2.2 1.9 
      Portugal 2.8 6.5 3.1 1.8 1.1 1.6 
EFTA 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
     Other Europe 0.1 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 
     Turkey 0.1 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 
Commonwealth of Indepe ndent States (CIS)a 3.7 2.7 3.5 2.2 2.4 2.7 
     Ukraine 3.7 2.7 3.5 2.2 2.4 2.7 
Africa 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 
Middle East 0.7 1.0 0.8 0.5 0.6 1.6 
    United Arab Emirates 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.4 1.3 
    Israel 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.0 0.2 0.2 
Asia, Oceania 4.3 3.1 4.4 4.6 2.7 4.5 
    China 1.6 0.8 0.7 2.0 0.5 1.9 
    Japan 0.6 0.4 1.3 0.4 0.3 0.4 
    Hong Kong, China 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.7 
    Singapore 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.7 0.3 0.3 
    Korea, Rep. of 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
    Chinese Taipei 0.1 0.1 0.5 0.1 0.0 0.1 
    Malaysia 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
    Thailand 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
    India 0.6 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.7 0.5 
    New Zealand 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 
    Viet Nam 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 
  Other 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, 
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federa tion, Tajikistan, Turkme nistan, Ukraine, and 
Uzbekistan. 
Source: WTO Secretariat based on UNSD Comtrade database. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  Table A1.4 Merchandise imports by trading partner, 2009-14 
(US$ million and %) 
Description 2009  2010  2011  2012 2013 2014  
Total imports 1,175 1,452 1,684 1,878 1,866 1,745 
 (% of imports)  
America 73.6 76.2 74.2 69.8 72.2 72.7 
   United States 29.1 27.7 26.6 26.0 21.7 25.4 
   Other America 44.5 48.6 47.6 43.8 50.5 47.3 
     Trinidad and Tobago 20.1 22.0 16.4 14.9 19.3 19.8 
     Venezuela 6.9 7.2 4.6 4.9 11.7 10.1 
     Netherlands Antilles 0.2 0.3 8.4 10.5 0.2 3.7 
     Barbados 0.9 0.9 1.7 0.8 1.2 1.6 
     Suriname 5.8 8.1 5.9 2.0 7.6 1.4 
     Brazil 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.3 
     Mexico 0.6 0.7 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.2 
     Canada 2.2 3.1 3.1 2.3 2.1 1.0 
     Costa Rica 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.6 1.0 
     Panama 0.8 0.6 0.9 0.8 0.9 0.8 
     Dominican Rep. 1.3 0.9 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.8 
     St Lucia 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.7 
     Colombia 1.4 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.6 
     Jamaica 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.6 0.6 
Europe 11.3 8.3 9.8 9.3 9.6 9.0 
  EU(28) 10.8 7.9 9.3 8.6 8.9 8.3 
     The Netherlands 1.8 1.5 1.7 1.3 1.3 2.8 
     United Kingdom 3.5 4.1 3.7 2.6 2.5 2.8 
     Belgium 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.7 
     Germany 0.8 0.4 0.8 0.7 1.0 0.4 
     Italy 0.5 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 
EFTA 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3 
     Switzerland 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3 
Other Europe 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.4 
     Turkey 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.7 0.6 0.4 
Commonwealth of Indepe ndent States (CIS)a 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.2 
     Ukraine 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.2 
Africa 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.4 
     Egypt 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 
     Swaziland 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 
     South Africa 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.1 
Middle East 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 
     United Arab Emirates 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 
     Israel 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 
Asia 14.7 15.1 15.3 20.1 17.6 17.5 
    China 5.0 5.8 6.4 10.4 8.9 7.7 
    Japan 3.6 3.6 3.2 4.1 3.3 3.4 
Six East Asian Traders 3.3 2.6 2.9 2.9 1.7 2.6 
    Korea, Rep. of 0.7 0.8 1.3 1.2 0.5 1.0 
    Malaysia 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.6 
    Thailand 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.4 0.4 
    Hong Kong, China 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.3 
    Chinese Taipei 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.2 
    Singapore 1.3 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 
Other Asia 2.8 3.1 2.9 2.7 3.7 3.8 
      India 1.6 1.6 1.3 1.0 1.1 1.3 
      New Zealand 0.7 0.8 0.7 1.1 1.5 0.8 
      Australia 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.7 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  Description 2009  2010  2011  2012 2013 2014  
  Other 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, 
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federa tion, Tajikistan, Turkme nistan, Ukraine, and 
Uzbekistan. 
Source: WTO Secretariat estimates, based on data from Statistics Canada. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  Table A2.1 Selected notifications to  the WTO, January 2009-March 2015 
Legal provision Description of requirement Frequency WTO document 
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994  
Article XVII:4(a) and 
paragraph 1 of the 
Understanding on the 
Interpretation of 
Article XVII State-trading enterprises and 
products traded by them Every two years 
(new and full 
notifications) No notifications 
Article XXIV:7(a) Customs unions and free-
trade areas Ad hoc Last notification in 2008 
(WT/REG255/N/1/Rev.1, the 
CARIFORUM-EU EPA) 
Agreement on Agriculture  
Article 18.2 and 18.3 Domestic support Annual/ad hoc 
(DS:1, and DS:2) Last notification in 2005 
(G/AG/N/GUY/14, covers the calendar year 2003 and 2004) 
Article 18.2 Export subsidies (Tables ES:1, 
ES:2, and ES:3) Annual Last notification in 2005 
(G/AG/N/GUY/13, covers the 
calendar year 2003 and 2004) 
Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  
Article 7 and Annex B, 
paragraph 5 Proposed and adopted SPS 
regulations Ad hoc G/SPS/N/GUY/1, 4 June 2012 
Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade  
Articles 2, 3, 5, and 7 Proposed and adopted 
technical regulations and 
conformity assessment 
procedures Prior to or, for 
urgent problems, 
immediately after 
the measure is 
taken Last notification in 2005 
(G/TBT/N/GUY/20) 
Article 15.2 Implementation and 
administration measures Once, then 
changes No notifications 
Paragraph J of the Code 
of Good Practice for the 
Preparation, Adoption 
and Application of 
Standards Work programme of bodies 
that have accepted the Code Semi-annual Last notification in 2008 
(G/TBT/CS/2/Rev.14) 
Agreement on Rules of Origin  
Annex II, paragraph 4 Preferential rules of origin Once, then 
changes and new 
rules Last notification in 2003 
(G/RO/N/42) 
Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the GATT 1994 (Agreement on Customs Valuation)  
Article 22.2 and 
Decision of the 
Committee on Customs 
Valuation Legislation Once, then 
changes No notifications 
Decision of the 
Committee on Customs Valuation (12.5.95) Responses to the checklist of 
issues Once No notifications 
Agreement on Preshipment Inspection  
Article 5 Laws or regulati on notified Once, then 
changes Last notification in 2004 
(G/PSI/N/1/Add.10) 
Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures  
Articles 1.4(a), 5, and 
8.2(b) Import licensing procedures Ad hoc Last notification in 2002 
(G/LIC/N/1/GUY/1) 
Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the GATT 1994 (Anti-Dumping Agreement)  
Article 16.4 and 16.5 Anti-dumping actions Semi-annual 
Ad hoc G/ADP/N/193/GUY, 22 March 
2010 
Article 18.5 New or changes to laws or 
regulations relevant to the 
Agreement and in the 
administration of such laws 
and regulations Ad hoc G/ADP/N/1/GUY/1, 20 April 
2010 
Article 7.3 Questionnaire Annua l Last notification in 2003 
(G/LIC/N/3/GUY/2) 
Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures  
Article 25.1 Subsidies Every two years 
(new and full notifications) No notifications 
Article 25.11 and 25.12 Countervailing du ties actions Semi-annual 
Ad hoc G/SCM/N/202/GUY, 22 March 
2010 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  Legal provision Description of requirement Frequency WTO document 
Article 32.6 New or changes to laws or 
regulations relevant to the Agreement and in the administration of such laws and regulations Ad hoc G/SCM/N/1/GUY/1, 20 April 
2010 
Agreement on Safeguards  
Article 12.1(a) Initiation/termination of an 
investigation Ad hoc Last notification in 2011 
Article 12.6 Legislation Ad hoc G/SG/N/1/GUY/1, 20 April 
2010 
General Agreement on Trade in Services  
Article III:3 New or changes to laws or 
regulations that significantly 
affect trade in services Annual No notifications 
Articles III:4 and IV:2 Contact and enquiry points Once, then 
changes Last notification in 2003 
(S/ENQ/78/Rev.5) 
Article V:7(a) Economic integration 
agreements Ad hoc Last notification in 2008 
(S/C/N/469/Rev.1, the 
CARIFORUM-EU EPA) 
Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights  
Article 63.2 Laws and regulations Once, then 
changes Last notifications in 2002 
(series IP/N/1/GUY) 
Article 69 Contact points Once, then 
changes No notifications 
TRIPS Council meeting 
of 22-25 July 1996 Contact points for technical 
cooperation Once, then 
changes No notifications. 
Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs)  
Article 5.1 TRIMs that are not in 
conformity with the provisions 
of the Agreement Once No notifications 
Article 6.2 and Decision 
of the TRIMs Committee of 30.9.96 Publications in which TRIMs 
may be found Once, then 
changes No notifications 
Other  
WTO document G/L/59 
(Decision on Notification Procedures 
for Quantitative 
Restrictions) Quantitative restrictions Biennial No notifications 
Source: WTO Secretariat. WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  Table A2.2 Guyana's preferential trade agreements, April 2015 
Preferential trade agreements 
CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY AND COMMON MARKET (CARICOM) SINGLE MARKET AND ECONOMY 
(CSME)  
Parties The founding members: Barbados, Guyana , Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. 
Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the 
Grenadines acceded in May 1974; Antigua an d Barbuda and St. Kitts and Nevis in July 
1974; Suriname in July 1995; and Haiti ratified the Treaty in 2004. Bahamas and Haiti 
opt out of the CSME. 
Date of 
signature/entry into force in Guyana Treaty of Chaguaramas establishing CARICOM was signed 1973. The Treaty of 
Chaguaramas was revised to create the CA RICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). 
Guyana signed the Revised Treaty in 2001. In 2006, Guyana enacted the Caribbean Community Act (No. 8) to give the Revi sed Treaty the force of domestic law. 
Transition for full 
implementation The Single Market became operational in 2006; and the Single Economy is expected to 
be fully implemented by 2015. 
Provisions Free movement of goods and services  within CARICOM; common external tariff (with 
some exceptions); right of establishment; movement of capital and current transactions; movement of Community nationals; harmonization of laws in a number of areas (see Chapters III and IV). 
Related WTO 
documents WT/REG155/1, 8 July 2003 (Revised Treaty); WT/REG155/2, 27 September 2004 
(services regime of CSME); WT/REG155 /3 (statistical da ta on services) 
CARICOM/CARIFORUM FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS 
CARICOM-Colombia 
Parties CARICOM members, Colombia 
Date of 
signature/entry 
into force in 
Guyana 1994 (revised 1998)/1995  
Transition for full 
implementation Agreement providing for trade liberalization, initially one-way by Colombia to CARICOM, 
but with reciprocity by the CARICOM MDCs introduced in 1999. Annex I contains goods of CARICOM origin that enter Colombia du ty free; Annex II contains the goods of 
Colombian origin that enter CARICOM MDCs du ty free; Annex IV contains the goods of 
Colombian origin entering the CARICOM MDCs subject to a phased reduction of tariffs. 
These tariffs were eliminated through fo ur equal annual reductions between 1998 and 
2002.  
Guyana's duty-
free tariff lines 
(2014) 100% duty free lines 
Provisions concerning goods Duty-free imports from Colombia into Guyana  mainly include certain: agricultural 
products, processed foods; le ather and fabrics; minerals , chemicals and gemstones; 
pharmaceutical products; rubber products ; manufactured goods made of metal.  
Provision 
concerning 
services There are no services provisions in the ag reement; extension of agreement to cover 
services is envisaged. 
Other provisions Temporary bilateral safeguard measur e. Dispute settlement provision (although disputes 
regarding anti-dumping to be taken to the WTO).  
Related WTO 
documents None 
CARICOM-Costa Rica (CR) 
Parties CARICOM members, Costa Rica 
Date of 
signature/entry into force in Guyana 2004/2005 
Transition for full 
implementation A few tariff lines were subject to a phased reduction between 2005 and 2008. For 
Guyana these included: ham; fish; cut flowers; wheat or meslin flour; make up; hair, 
dental and shaving products; insecticides; organic solvents and thinners; paperboard; 
certain footwear; stoves; and lead-acid accu mulators (Table D.1 of the FTA). Phased 
reductions have been completed. 
Guyana's duty-
free tariff lines (2014) 100% duty free  
Provisions 
concerning goods Reciprocal agreement in so far as CARICOM MDCs are concerned. Provides for free trade 
for a wide range of products, exclusive of sensitive products. A li st of CARICOM-wide 
excluded products for which no concessions will  be made includes a range of agricultural 
products, and a few manufactured goods (Table B1 of the FTA); Guyana applies the MFN 
tariff rate to certain fresh fruits and vegetabl es imported from Costa Rica during certain 
months (Table A.1 of the FTA). CARICOM products covered by the Oils and Fats 
Agreement are exempt from the FTA's scope.  Some products exclusions are country-WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
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  Preferential trade agreements 
specific. In the case of Guyana this includ es: cocoa powder; pasta; biscuits; ice cream; 
certain beverages; cigars; mosquito coils;  leather handbags and wallets; mattress 
supports; and mattresses (T able D.1 of the FTA).  
Provision 
concerning 
services Provisions on applications by nationals of the parties for licensing / certification 
(domestic regulation), an d on the regulation of profession al services. Review of need for 
further disciplines on services to be held within two years (Article IX.02 of FTA). The 
Joint Council has not met since implementation of the Agreement, thus there have been no discussions on this issue.  
Other provisions SPS, TBT, and dispute settleme nt provisions. Disputes on anti-dumping to be taken to 
WTO. Provisions on investment admission, protection and promotion. Reviews within 
two years to consider need for disciplines on competition policy and government 
procurement and further discip lines on investment. These issues are will be addressed 
at the first meeting of the Joint Council.  
Related WTO 
documents None 
CARICOM-Cuba 
Parties CARICOM members, Cuba 
Date of 
signature/entry 
into force in 
Guyana 2000 (implementing Protocol 2001, provisional application Protocol 2002) / 2004 
Transition for full 
implementation Reciprocal agreement in so far as CARICOM MD Cs is concerned. Elim ination of tariffs on 
a list of products (Annex II of Protocol 1). Ph ased elimination of tari ffs on a further list 
of products phased in from the MFN rate of duty to zero in four annual stages (Annex IV of Protocol 1). The phase-out process commenced in 2002 and was completed in 2005. 
Guyana's duty-
free tariff lines 
(2014) 100% duty free 
Provisions concerning goods Duty-free treatment of a list of products exported from Cuba. These include certain: 
agricultural items; processe d foods; beverages, chemicals and minerals; construction 
materials; pharmaceutical products; health  and beauty products; products made from 
leather, wood, plastic, meta l and paper; textiles, garmen ts and footwear; machinery; 
electrical equipment; vehicles; medical appara tus; furniture. (Annex  II of Protocol 1). 
Phased reduction (over four ye ars from MFN rate to zero) of  certain: coffee; sausages; 
pasta; jams and jellies; soups; chemicals; paints and varnishes; products made out of plastic and paper; garments and footwear; furniture (Annex IV of Protocol 1).  
Seasonal tariffs applied to cert ain agricultural products listed  in Annex V to the agreement. 
Goods shipped from free-trade zone s are subject to MFN tariff. 
Provision 
concerning 
services Provisions on tourism and transportation serv ices. Exchange of information on services 
sector and provision for future negotiations  on services, focusing on the following 
services sectors: tourism and travel, entertai nment, financial, professional, construction 
and related engineering, computer, te lecommunications and transport.  
Other provisions Review of technical regulations; sa feguard mechanism; recourse to WTO disciplines on 
anti-dumping and subsidies and counterv ailing measures. Dispute settlement.  
A protocol was signed in 2001 containing agreements on intellectual property rights and the reciprocal promotion and protection of investments. 
Related WTO 
documents None 
CARICOM-Dominican Republic (DR) 
Parties CARICOM members, DR 
Date of 
signature/entry into force in Guyana 1998 (instrument of provisional application 2001)/2004 
Guyana's duty-
free tariff lines 
(2014) 100% duty free 
Provisions 
concerning goods Mutual granting of tariff concessions betw een CARICOM MDCs and the DR. All exports 
from DR receive immediate duty-free treatment except those subject to phased reductions (see above) and those listed as remaining subject to the MFN rate as listed in the revised Attachment II to the FTA. Attach ment II includes certai n: meat, fish, dairy 
products, vegetables, wh eat flour, sugar, guava cheese, peanuts, fruit juices, pepper 
sauce, water, beer, tobacco, cement, paints  and varnishes, beauty products, candles, 
disinfectant, organic composite solvents and thinners, bottles, various articles made of metal, and solar water heaters. In addition , Article III of the agreement specifies that 
seasonal tariffs may be applie d to selected fresh fruit an d vegetables as set out in 
Attachment V to the FTA. 
Provision Provisions on applications by nationals of the parties for licensing / certification, WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 75 - 
 
  Preferential trade agreements 
concerning 
services (domestic regulation) and on the temporary en try of business persons. Provision made for 
future negotiations on services: negotiating group on services was established in August 
2005; however there have been no concrete developments. 
Other provisions Promotion and protection of investment, dispute settlement, bilateral safeguard, recourse 
to WTO disciplines on anti-dumping and subsidies and countervailing measures, customs 
cooperation, TBT, and SPS. Provisions envisaging future mechanisms on competition policy and agreements on government procurement and intellectual prop erty rights. Negotiating group on IPRs was 
established in August 2005; however there have been no further developments.  
Related WTO 
documents None 
Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between CARIFORUM and the EU 
Parties CARIFORUM (CARICOM members and the Dominican Republic), European Union 
Date of signature/entry into force in Guyana Signed 2008 / provisionally applied since 2007 
Transition for 
full 
implementation The EU to offer immediate duty-free and quota-free market acce ss to all CARIFORUM 
goods with the exception of rice and sugar, which will be implemented in 2010 and 2015 
respectively, and products listed in HS Chapter 93 (arms and ammunition). By 2033, 
liberalization of 86.9% of imports from the EC will be fully liberalized. CARIFORUM 
countries to phase-in tariff reductions between 2011 and 2033.  
Guyana's duty-
free tariff lines (2014) 65.4% duty free (51% duty fr ee immediately, 35% phased out up to 25 years); 14% 
excluded. 
Provisions 
concerning 
goods Certain sensitive products (mainly food item s and processed food) imported from the EU 
into CARIFORUM countries will continue to attract tariffs, and these are set out in Annex 
III to the EPA.  
Provision 
concerning services The EU to open up 90% of its services sectors, and CARIFORUM to open up 65%. 
Other provisions Investment; current payments and capital movement; innovation and intellectual 
property, public procurement, environment, so cial aspects and person al data protection; 
development cooperation; recourse to WTO di spute settlement provisions on safeguards, 
anti-dumping and countervailing measures (w ith the exception of a time-limited special 
safeguard mechanism); commitments to facilitate trade; TBT; SPS; dispute settlement. 
Related WTO 
documents None 
CARICOM-Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela 
Parties CARICOM members, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela 
Date of 
signature/entry 
into force in 
Guyana 1992 / 1993 
Guyana's duty-
free Tariff lines (2014) None 
Provisions 
concerning 
goods One-way preferences aimed at promoting CARICO M exports to the Bolivarian Republic of 
Venezuela 
Provision 
concerning services None; provision for future amen dments to the agreement and for future negotiations on 
air and maritime transport 
Other provisions Bilateral safeguard; recourse to WTO disc iplines on anti-dumping and subsidies and 
countervailing measures; and dispute settlement 
Related WTO 
documents None 
BILATERAL AGREEMENTS 
Partial scope agreement, Guyana-Brazil 
Parties Guyana, Brazil 
Date of 
signature/entry into force in Guyana June 2001 / March 2004 
Transition for 
full 
implementation 
 None WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 76 - 
 
  Preferential trade agreements 
Guyana's duty-
free tariff lines (2014) 96.6% duty free 
Provisions 
concerning 
goods Tariff concessions granted by Guyana to Braz il are listed in Annex II to the agreement. 
Preferences range from duty-free treatment to a tariff reduction of 15% from the MFN rate 
Provision 
concerning services None 
Other 
provisions: Safeguards, dispute settlement 
Related WTO 
documents None 
Source: Information provided by the authorities. 
 WT/TPR/S/320/Rev.1 • Guyana 
 
- 77 - 
 
  Table A4.1 Main bodies active  in the agriculture sector 
Body Responsibilities/activities 
National Agricultural 
Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) Semi-autonomous body for which the Mi nistry of Agriculture has reporting 
responsibilities. Undertakes research and de velopment in agriculture as well as plant 
protection; provides agricultural services  and maintains a library and documentation 
centre. An Agricultural Research Committee within NARI, advises the Minister of Agriculture on agricultural research policy issues.  
Mahaica-Mahaicony-
Abary Agricultural 
Development 
Authority (MMA/ADA) 
 Semi-autonomous body for which the Mi nistry of Agriculture has reporting 
responsibilities. Has responsibility for a rang e of activities related to the development 
of agriculture in the Mahaica/Mahaicony Abary area. 
National Drainage and 
Irrigation Authority Semi-autonomous body for which the Mi nistry of Agriculture has reporting 
responsibilities. The Authority is respon sible for operation and maintenance of 
drainage, irrigation and flood control infrastructure and services.  
Guyana Sugar 
Corporation 
(GuySuCo) State owned corporation for which the Mi nistry of Agriculture has reporting 
responsibilities. It operates five sugar estates and eight factories. It is not the only 
producer of sugar in Guyana (private ca ne farmers produced about 20,000 tonnes of 
sugar cane in 2008). It is, however, the only company manufacturing sugar and 
permanently authorized to import and expo rt sugar (all other companies may only 
import sugar under a non-automatic licenc e). GuySuCo and the two large beverage 
companies (DDL and Banks DIH) import  refined sugar. GuySuCo supplies the 
imported refined sugar to small manufacturers.  
 
Guyana Rice 
Development Board (GRDB) Semi-autonomous body for which the Mi nistry of Agriculture has reporting 
responsibility. Objectives: development of the rice industry and promotion of rice 
exports; establishment of research facilities; and promotional and developmental activities. Grades and certifies rice and pa ddy, and issues rice milling and export 
licences.  
National Cane Farming 
Committee (NCFC) Established by Act Cap. 69:04. The NCFC brin gs together representatives of farmers' 
associations, government officials, th e industry (GuySuCo) and a development 
organization. Its purpose is to, inter alia,  devise programmes to promote and expand 
cane farming, advise the Minister, and administer the funds of the Cane Farmers 
Special Funds Act. The NCFC had been do rmant for around a de cade, but met again 
for the first time in 2008, due to increased demand for privately produced cane.  
 
Guyana Rice 
Producer's Association (GRPA) Established by Act Cap. 60:01, which estab lishes a body corporate comprising rice 
producers of Guyana. Its functions include protecting and promoting rice producers' 
interests, and making proposals to and advising the Minister.   
New Guyana 
Marketing Corporation 
(NGMC) Semi-autonomous body for which the Mi nistry of Agriculture has reporting 
responsibilities. Provides vari ous services to the private se ctor for the export of non-
traditional agricultural produce (mainly fruits and vegetables) including market 
research, technical assistance and training, export assistance and marketing services. 
It has established a Marketing Informat ion Centre to provide information to 
stakeholders, it runs two packaging faciliti es, and acts as a one-stop brokerage desk 
for the exportation of fruit and vegetabl es. The NGMC no longer buys farmers' 
produce for domestic and export sale. 
Guyana Livestock 
Development Authority (GLDA) Semi-autonomous body aimed to  promote greater efficiency in the livestock industry 
and to provide enhanced services in livestock husbandry, livestock health, and research.  
Source: NARI (http://www.sdnp.org.gy/minagri/na ri/generalinfo.htm); Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary 
Agricultural Development Authority Act (http: //www.caricomlaw.org/doc.php?id=2116); GuySuCo 
http://www.guysuco. com/); Guyana Rice Development Board (http://grdb.gy); National Cane Farming Committee Act, Cap. 69:04, (http://www.caricomlaw.org/doc.php?id=2109);The Rice Producer's Association Act, Cap. 69:01 (http://www.caricomlaw.org/doc.php?id=2106); NDDP (http://www.agrinetguyana.org.gy/nddp/generalinfo.htm); and NGMC (http://www.newgmc.com). 
__________