Talks underway to overcome hitch in accepting some imports from Florida
The importation of goods from Florida that are not purchased directly from the manufacturers has been put on hold following a disagreement over the required certificate and Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall is currently engaging the relevant bodies in a bid to resolve the issue.
On Tuesday, Nandlall met with Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) Zulfikar Ally, AmCham’s Economist Stephen Kissoon as well as the United States Embassy, Deputy Chief of Mission Mark Cullinane and Economic/Commercial Officer Benjamin Hulefeld to discuss issues surrounding the importation of goods from Florida.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, the AG’s Chambers said during the discussion the main issue raised was the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department’s (GA-FDD) refusal to accept certificates of Free Sale issued by Enterprise Florida.
Instead, the release said Nandlall was told that the GA-FDD is demanding a certificate from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“…But the FDA certificate is no longer issued in respect of goods exported from Florida and that function is now being performed by Enterprise Florida,” the release stated.
Enterprise Florida, is a non-profit, public/private entity which certifies products for exports on behalf of the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Agriculture.
In an invited comment on Wednesday, Ally told Stabroek News that the issue arose sometime last year.
He explained that with the intervention of the Ministry of Health, a meeting was held with the GA-FDD and the importers involved during which an extension was granted until December 31st, 2020.
Subsequently, he said the GA-FDD made it clear that until the existing law is amended/changed, it would be impossible to import the goods from Florida.
Ally said the US Food and Drug Department won’t issue the certificate to importers unless purchasing is done directly from manufacturers.
The goods, according to Ally are what local wholesalers and retailers purchase from the United States. “Specifically those that are not covered by exclusive distributorships or are bought directly from the manufacturers,” he said.
Ally said since then the importation of goods that are bought by wholesalers has been put on a pause but distributors who buy direct from manufacturers can still import.
Director of GA-FDD Marlan Cole explained to this newspaper that the FDA certificate is required for the importation since the document issued by Enterprise Florida is unacceptable.
“….the document they want us to use, is a document that is being issued by Enterprise Florida and we don’t accept that document because it indemnifies itself from the product,” Cole explained.
The Ministry’s release stated that during the discussion, Nandlall gave his assurance that he will “follow” the issue with a view of “bringing regularity” in a timely manner.
It further stated that Nandlall highlighted that goods coming into the country, particularly food items must be “carefully” scrutinized.
Nandlall also indicated that the Government has since received several complaints from local businesses on the issue.