The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce have signed a Memorandum of Understanding intended to address a long-standing imbalance in trade between the two countries. The agreement, signed on Tuesday, provides for a joint complaints desk and commits both organisations to work together on removing barriers that have hampered Guyanese exporters seeking access to the Trinidadian market.

The imbalance is stark. As stated by GCCI President Kathy Smith, Guyana buys significantly more from Trinidad and Tobago than it exports, and if a number of barriers are removed, Guyanese companies should be able to increase their market share in Trinidad. She did not put a figure on the scale of the gap, but the framing of the MoU suggests both chambers regard it as significant enough to warrant a formal mechanism rather than informal dialogue.

The most pressing issue, according to Smith, is agricultural exports. Guyanese producers of wiri-wiri peppers, pineapples and honey have struggled to get their goods into the Trinidadian market, she said, and resolving these difficulties is high on the list of priorities for the new arrangement. The barriers in discussion are not tariffs in the traditional sense. They fall under the broader heading of non-tariff barriers, a category that includes quotas, embargoes, sanctions and levies, and which has proven a persistent source of friction across CARICOM markets more widely. Unlike tariffs, these barriers can be harder to identify and even harder to challenge, since they often operate through regulatory or administrative channels rather than published duty schedules.

The MoU sets out how the two chambers intend to tackle this. A formal trade complaints mechanism will be established, built around a joint trade desk that will handle disputes raised by businesses on either side. TTCIC Chief Executive Dr Vashti Guyadee said this desk could be operational within around three months. Beyond the complaints process itself, she indicated the Trinidadian chamber wants to review taxation issues affecting cross-border trade and to lobby for an updated fresh produce protocol in Trinidad and Tobago, with the aim of easing the passage of agricultural imports that currently face the barriers Smith described.

Both chamber presidents framed the agreement as more than a formality. Smith said the two organisations would work towards actively identifying and resolving barriers to market access, describing the effort as one of cooperative benefit to both sides. Yip Chuck went on to explain to those in attendance that the signing was more than just the signing of a document; rather, it was the establishment of what she described as an enduring framework, which would allow the private sectors of each country to jointly identify problems, push for solutions, and explore new opportunities. She noted that both chambers have already begun engaging their memberships and intend to work through issues in a structured manner, rather than on an ad hoc basis.

The agreement fits into a wider pattern of private sector bodies within CARICOM stepping in to address trade friction that governments have been slower to resolve through formal trade policy. Non-tariff barriers of the kind described by Smith have featured repeatedly in discussions among regional business groups, and the establishment of a bilateral complaints desk represents one of the more concrete steps taken to date between two individual member states. Whether the mechanism delivers measurable change for exporters of wiri-wiri peppers, pineapples and honey, or for other Guyanese producers hoping to reach the Trinidadian market, will depend on how quickly the joint desk becomes operational and how seriously both governments engage with the issues it raises.