Dear Editor,
Scores of families in Region Two who are engaged in the rearing of pigs and poultry now face a threat to their survival from an acute shortage of local stockfeed, with the price of bran having jumped to an all-time high of $1,200 for a 60 pound bag.
Some months ago at the beginning of milling for the last crop, when stocks of bran, which is a by-product of paddy, were in full supply throughout the district, the price for the same weight was $400 per bag.
It is well known that scarcity increases prices, but with supplies of bran now available from only one miller in my area of South Essequibo, the price is considered to be exorbitant and unaffordable, and a case of massive exploitation. While there is no justifiable reason for the fantastic price escalation, unless there is an immediate reduction losses of livestock would be inevitable.
The price for broken rice which is also in short supply has been increased by $500 to further aggravate the hardship encountered by families trying to make an honest living. Up to last Saturday one businessman who buys and sells bran in a mobile vehicle was doing so at $1,300 per bag.
Some form of assistance from government would be appreciated to bring relief to the farmers’ predicament.
Yours faithfully,
Baliram Persaud
