Economy: Suriname
Key Facts
—Who. Businessman Bhagwatpersad Ramadhin, whose B. Ramadhin rice mill in Nickerie, Suriname, was due to receive the rice.
—What. Customs seized 282 big bags of Guyanese parboiled rice, about 385 tonnes, on Monday, 5 October 2026, after officials found permits missing.
—Where. Nieuw Nickerie, a port town in Suriname’s main rice-growing district, near the border with Guyana.
—When. The hearing in the importer’s case opened on Tuesday, 6 October, and resumes on Thursday, 8 October.
—Status. Allegations by Surinamese officials. The importer disputes them, and no court has ruled.
—As of. 7 October 2026, 23:00 GMT.
Customs officers in Suriname have seized about 385 tonnes of rice from neighbouring Guyana, saying the importer lacked the permits that farm imports need. The case matters beyond one mill because it tests how two Caribbean neighbours police trade in a staple food.
What We Know
The rice reached Nieuw Nickerie aboard the vessel MV Falk and was declared to customs on 30 September, according to Starnieuws, a Surinamese news site. Customs seized 282 big bags, about 385 tonnes, at 18:37 local time on Monday, 5 October,.
Part of the cargo had already been released and had to be brought back to the port. The importer is Bhagwatpersad Ramadhin, and the rice was destined for his B. Ramadhin rice mill in Nickerie.
The same vessel also carried 600 tonnes of urea fertiliser invoiced at US$600,000, Kaieteur News in Georgetown reported. Guyana’s plant protection office issued its certificate for 384,800 kilograms of rice on 29 September, the paper added.
Suriname’s agriculture ministry says a certificate from the exporting country does not satisfy Surinamese law on its own. Court papers show the application for a Surinamese plant-health import permit was filed only on 2 October, after the cargo had arrived, according to Starnieuws.
Agriculture Minister Mike Noersalim called the import misleading and promised firm action, De Ware Tijd reported on 7 October. He said farmers work under hard conditions and should not face rivals who skip the rules.
How the Shipment Slipped Through
Customs says poor internet kept officers from opening all supporting documents in Asycuda, the customs computer system. The papers appeared to have been uploaded and stamped, so part of the cargo was released, Starnieuws reported.
When officers checked again, the required documents were missing, and further release was stopped. Economic Affairs Minister Andrew Baasaron said customs had made a mistake and asked the Finance Ministry to act against the officers involved.
Two Permits, Two Ministers
Baasaron says rice is on Suriname’s Negative List, a list of goods that need a prior import licence. He said the Suriname Electronic Single Window, the government’s online trade portal, held no application for a rice import.
He called the case an economic offence and told Starnieuws the rice would not be returned to Guyana, in an interview published on 6 October. The agriculture ministry had said earlier that the cargo would be sent back or destroyed.
Baasaron had also said his ministry’s inspectors would seize the rice before the hearing. Starnieuws reported that they did not get permission from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, so customs made the seizure instead.
The Importer Goes to Court
Ramadhin has sued the state in summary proceedings, a fast-track court procedure. He wants the rice inspected and, if it carries no plant-health risk, cleared for sale.
He also asks the court to bar the state from returning, destroying or burning the rice. We convert at 37.7 Surinamese dollars per US$, the mid-point of the Central Bank of Suriname’s buying and selling rates on 7 October.
The hearing opened on Tuesday, 6 October, and continues on Thursday, 8 October. No ruling has been reported.
Why Nickerie’s Rice Farmers Are Worried
Nickerie, in Suriname’s far west, is the centre of the country’s rice industry. Mahinder Jogi, a National Assembly member for the Progressive Reform Party (VHP), told the Assembly on Tuesday, 6 October, that the import seriously undermines the sector, Dagblad Suriname reported.
Jogi told Starnieuws that farmers now get more than SRD 700 (about US$19) for a bale of wet paddy, up from SRD 400 to SRD 500 (about US$11 to US$13). He warned that cheap imports could push the price back down.
Jogi has alleged that senior government officials tried to intervene to clear the cargo, a claim we could not confirm. He has urged careful legal handling and coordination between ministries.
Dagblad Suriname reported in September that about 10,000 hectares of paddy were sown this season. It put yearly demand at about 35,000 tonnes of white rice and called a return to imports within a few seasons a real risk.
Guyana and CARICOM
Guyana is the far larger producer, and Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha says output rose from 500,000 tonnes in 2020 to over 810,000 tonnes in 2025. That is the ministry’s own figure, and our report on Guyana’s farm sector covers the wider picture.
We found no public comment from Guyana’s government on the seizure. Guyana separately halted banana imports from Suriname on 30 September, Demerara Waves reported, though no report links the two cases.
Both countries belong to CARICOM, the 15-member Caribbean Community. Its Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas bars members from introducing new restrictions on community goods, “save as otherwise provided” in the treaty (Article 79).
What Is Not Known
The judge has not yet ruled on whether the rice can be inspected and released. It is also unclear whether the cargo will go back to Guyana, be destroyed or be forfeited.
The reports we could read give no value for the rice, so we state none. Kaieteur News ties a figure of US$600,000 to the fertiliser invoice, not to the rice.
No penalties for the importer or the customs officers have been reported. Whether CARICOM trade rules apply to this cargo is a legal question we have not seen answered.
What It Means for US Readers and Investors
The case is small in dollar terms, but it shows how Caribbean governments use plant-health and licensing rules to shield farmers. Food exporters to Suriname should note that a certificate from the sending country did not satisfy officials here.
The paddy price of about US$19 a bale is the figure to watch for the health of the rice sector. None of the reports we reviewed mention any change for travellers or for the Guyana–Suriname border.
More: Suriname news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Suriname seize rice from Guyana?
Officials say the importer lacked Suriname’s plant-health approval and the import licence that rice requires. Customs seized the cargo after part of it had been released and had to be brought back to the port.
Who imported the rice?
The B. Ramadhin rice mill in Nickerie was due to receive about 385 tonnes of parboiled rice. Its owner, businessman Bhagwatpersad Ramadhin, has asked a court to have the rice inspected and released.
Does CARICOM membership protect the shipment?
The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas bars new restrictions on community goods “save as otherwise provided” in the treaty. No court ruling on whether it covers this cargo has been reported.
What happens next?
A judge continues hearing the importer’s case on Thursday, 8 October. Ministers have given conflicting accounts of whether the rice will go back to Guyana.
Sources
Starnieuws (seizure) · Starnieuws (Baasaron) · Starnieuws (Jogi) · Dagblad Suriname · Dagblad Suriname (supply) · De Ware Tijd · Kaieteur News · Demerara Waves · Guyana Ministry of Agriculture · Central Bank of Suriname · CARICOM (Revised Treaty)
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This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief