Dear Editor,
Reference is made to Mr. Mohamed Khan’s letter in the Wednesday, December 27, 2006 issue of Kaieteur News, on the topic who will enforce the Rice Factories’ Act.
We wish to clearly point out that the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) is the agency tasked with enforcing the Rice Factories Act #8 of 1998. The Rice Factories Act is being enforced by the GRDB and this will continue once the mandate remains with it.
Mr. Khan’s assertion that the Anna Regina Branch of the GRDB has never enforced the Rice Factories Act of 1998 is misleading.
The Board has over the years increased its level of monitoring of the trade in paddy at rice factories to ensure that the process is done in a fair and transparent manner. The planning and execution of training courses in Grading of Paddy and Rice and Warehouse Management has also supplemented this process of monitoring as it has served to increase stakeholders awareness as to the various things that have to be done in relation to transfer of ownership of paddy. Whatever activity is carried out in the other regions with respect to monitoring and training is also done in Region 2 and is under constant supervision from the Board’s Head Office.
One of the main areas that is being monitored in the trade of paddy, and which Mr. Khan may be alluding to, is the issue of the Schedule 6, which indicates that a transaction has been completed. This document is signed to by both the producer and the manufacturer and can be used in a court of law if the manufacturer does not meet his obligations. The GRDB cannot act in cases where the manufacturer does not meet his obligations in the document he signs to; this matter is a civil matter.
The Board will continue to work earnestly to ensure that the trade in paddy is done in a fair and transparent manner and to continue to work with stakeholders to improve their awareness in all aspects of the trade which will help to eliminate some of the problems that currently exist and to help foster a better working relationship among them
Yours faithfully,
Jagnarine Singh
General Manager
Guyana Rice
Development Board
