Claiming that Cabinet has greenlit a contract for $420 million for the procurement of fertiliser, the Rice Producers Association (RPA) is calling for it to be rejected by stakeholders and for the authorities to reverse the decision.
Speaking yesterday at a press conference, RPA General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj condemned the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) for being the executing agent in the signing of the contract. “This is in direct contravention of the laws, norms and conventions applicable to the acquisition of farmers’ inputs,” Seeraj said. He added that there was no advertisement or bidding, which is imperative in sourcing of farming supplies. He claimed too that the selected supplier is a popular and publicly-known campaign financier of the APNU/AFC coalition.
Stabroek News rang GRDB head Nizam Hassan to put the allegations to him, but was told that he couldn’t speak, as he was in a meeting. He advised this newspaper to call him back in 30 minutes. Several calls made later over a
