I responded to the Ministry’s email knowing that at least eight potential participants had contacted me

I refer to a letter in Saturday’s edition of your newspaper headlined ‘Mr. Kirton was written to….’ The letter lists a number of points relative to the matter. In point three (3) the letter states that “to date Mr. Kirton has not responded to Mr. Edghill.” This is inaccurate. I received an email response to my email letter to Minister Walrond at 3.08 pm on August 26 from one John Edghill and responded six minutes later as can be verified by the email thread below.

As for the interest on the part of would be participants from Guyana, at least eight (8) persons have contacted me and have been directed to the web site at which they should register. In 2019, Guyana had the largest single delegation at FITCE and participants benefitted from interaction and advice from relevant agencies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Customs and Border Protection (USCBP). Additionally, contacts were established with potential buyers as well as equipment suppliers.

In 2021, several Guyanese small businesses again registered for FITCE but their participation was hampered by a US government requirement at that time that persons entering the US had to be fully vaccinated specifically with two approved brands of vaccines which had not yet been utilized in Guyana.

Regards

Wesley Kirton

President

Guyanese American Chamber of Commerce (GACC