Guyana's five leading exports in 1989 were sugar, bauxite, shrimp, rice, and gold. These products together accounted for 90 percent of exports, which amounted to a total of US$204 million in 1990. Other exports included timber, textiles, rum, fruit, and vegetables. Because of the country's limited industrial development, Guyana exported only a few manufactured products, such as refrigerators, freezers, and furniture to other nations in the Caribbean region.
Britain, the United States, and Canada were the destinations for about two-thirds of Guyana's officially recorded exports. Exports to the United States included bauxite, shrimp, gold, sugar (under a special quota), and clothing. In 1989 Guyana became a beneficiary of the Caribbean Basin Initiative, which eliminated United States customs duties on selected products. Major exports to Britain were bauxite and sugar; the latter was covered by a special quota arrangement with the European Community (see Agriculture , this ch.). Exports to Canada were mainly bauxite and gold. Other markets for Guyana's exports were Germany and Japan.
Data as of January 1992