Dear Editor,
Looking at the Essequibo Coast rice farmers picketing in front of parliament and speaking with the main opposition leaders, Mssrs David Granger and Khemraj Ramjattan, it is clear that the government and the Ministry of Agriculture have no interest in their welfare.
The rice farmers were not receiving money for themselves and their families, or to offset their expenses. Many of them worked long and back-breaking hours in the fields. Most of them are very poor. The rice farmers have always struggled to make ends meet without any subsidies. For them, especially the poor farmers, the Guyana Rice Producers Association (GRPA) and the Guyana Rice Development Board ( GRDB) have lost their importance and relevance to their daily battles for better conditions.
The reasons are evident: a lack of firm conviction and action by the government over the past decades. It is apposite to mention that the GRPA and GRDB have no say in decision-making, only the government and the Ministry of Agriculture. It would therefore be advisable for policy-makers in the rice industry to give special consideration to the farmers’ demands.
All the rice-growing regions have been affected by the low prices paid for a bag of paddy. The worst affected area is Region Two. The rice farmers of this region are caught in an inescapable net of exploitation. The government in order to encourage production must see that the farmers receive the $300 million in outstanding debts, which were all paid by post-dated cheques. Money for the farmers is quite literally their starting point. As such, its importance cannot be over-stated.
Farmers find themselves at a disadvantage from the outset. Often they suffer from inadequate access to quality seed paddy, fertilizers and insecticides at prices they can afford. The requirements from the banks for finance under the facility are too stringent – an identification card or passport, passport size photograph, financial statements, statements of outstanding debts, proof of equity, contribution (bank statement), quotations as to when fixed assets would be purchased and all collateral provided would be valued by the banks or a third party in collaboration with the banks.
Some farmers do not own the land; they are simply renting from their parents or people who are unable to work it to feed their families, so this requirement will be very difficult to meet for a loan. The system gives weight to the rice millers, and all attempts to reform the unfair system have been resisted by the millers.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan
