Rice farmer and President the Essequibo Paddy Association Naith Ram says that the transformation in the fortunes of Region Two rice farmers in the wake of the disappearance of the PetroCaribe agreement with neighbouring Venezuela has been nothing short of dramatic. Significantly reduced earnings have been accompanied by a sense of gloom and what in some instances is a desperate search for options.
The profit margin these days is “very small. Those farmers with more than 20 acres of land may be able to cover production cost, but those farmers with one, two or less than ten acres are feeling the pinch. They will find it difficult to survive without another form of employment to supplement their incomes,” he says.
