On Wednesday, 8 July 2026, two leading regional business representative bodies – the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) of Guyana and the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce (TTCIC) – formalized a landmark agreement to establish a joint trade complaints desk designed to eliminate long-standing non-tariff barriers that have hampered cross-border commerce between the two CARICOM member states.
The agreement, signed at a joint press briefing by TTCIC President Karen Yip Chuk and GCCI President Kathy Smith, establishes a structured framework for addressing persistent trade frictions that have blocked market access for producers on both sides. Speaking to reporters after the signing ceremony, TTCIC Chief Executive Officer Dr. Vashti Guyadeen outlined that the new mechanism will operate via a standardized data collection template, allowing business stakeholders from both countries to submit formal complaints about trade barriers. The joint desk will then track these issues and compile empirical evidence to inform targeted solutions.
According to Dr. Guyadeen, the two organizations aim to fully launch the joint desk within a three-month timeline. Beyond the core complaint-handling function, TTCIC is prioritizing key updates to existing agricultural trade protocols, specifically those governing shipments of pineapple crowns, eddoes, and peppers. The new body will also develop a dedicated process to resolve cross-border taxation disputes, with Dr. Guyadeen emphasizing that addressing these long-running issues will require sustained, ongoing engagement rather than one-off interventions.
GCCI President Kathy Smith echoed the urgency of the partnership, noting that the agreement itself would not have been necessary if cross-border trade for key Guyanese exports – including pineapples, honey, and red peppers – already operated without restrictions. A joint working group from both chambers is scheduled to convene in two weeks to aggregate data on outstanding trade issues before formal outreach to the Guyanese and Trinidad and Tobago national governments and relevant regulatory agencies. Smith added that the alliance will launch a cross-sector lobbying campaign to bring both public and private sector stakeholders on both sides of the border into alignment on the reform agenda.
One of the most persistent disputes on the agenda dates back almost 20 years. Guyana has long pushed Trinidad and Tobago to revise its 1935 Beekeeping and Bee Products Act, a regulation that bans the transit of foreign-produced honey into the twin-island nation, introduced originally to prevent the spread of pathogens that could devastate local bee colonies. Successive Trinidad and Tobago governments, from both the People’s National Movement and the United National Congress, have pledged to amend the law following years of lobbying from Guyana, Grenada, and CARICOM leadership. However, TTCIC President Yip Chuk noted that the existing regulation has technical merit, pointing to the risk of catastrophic collapse of local bee populations if disease is introduced. She added that final decisions on the rule must be informed by technical assessments from Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Agriculture and leading industry technical experts.