Millers continue to make payments to rice farmers
RICE farmers owed by millers in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) are receiving payments, as agreed at a meeting last Thursday, according to General-Secretary of the Guyana Rice Producers Association (RPA), Mr. Dharamkumar Seeraj.
He noted that while the production for the first crop is valued at $23.3B, $1.4B is what was produced by Region Two farmers. Of the total amount, over $1.9B has been paid out.
“By the end of the week, we expect, as agreed, that another $400M will be paid out… At the meeting last Thursday, the millers outlined a payment plan that the farmers agreed to, and that is the process that is being rolled out to ensure farmers are paid the monies owed to them,” Seeraj said.
The RPA Head maintained that the payment plan being rolled out was the agreed terms of an agreement between farmers and millers, despite last Friday’s violence that followed a peaceful protest in Region Two.
POLITICALLY MOTIVATED
Seeraj contends that the violence that followed this peaceful protest march was clearly politically motivated, particularly given that a resolution had been reached to the problem that is alleged to have started the protest.
In a prior interview, he stated that the Alliance For Change Councillor Mr. Naith Ram, who led the violence, was himself paid off for his paddy.
“It was not a case where he (Ram) had a personal interest. This was a legitimate problem, which was addressed, being turned into a political issue. Notwithstanding what was said at the meeting, he still went ahead, because the uproar was premeditated,” the RPA Head said.
Seeraj said that RPA officers in Region Two reported that the old tyres that were burnt to block major roadways were kept in car trunks and brought to the protest site.
He noted that a number of infractions had been committed on Friday. “A number of illegal things were done on Friday, and this was after the peaceful protest. First of all, heavy-duty vehicles were parked on the Anna Regina ‘Heritage’ Bridge, which is a bridge that you cannot even drive a car over. The tyres that they burned were in their car trunks, and a police officer was even abused and ended up at the Suddie Hospital,” he said.
The RPA Head also addressed the claims by Ram that he was stripped by the police, which the GPF has since emphatically denied. Seeraj said, “Our information on the ground is that he (Ram) started undressing from the road, and then moved into a street and took off his clothes before claiming that he was stripped by police, and allowing persons to take pictures of him.
“Even if you look at the pictures, there are no police (personnel) in the background, and if (the police) had stripped a person, you would have seen evidence of some force, at least a ripped button or two, or a torn pocket or something. The photo was obviously staged. There is no evidence of force, anyone can see that.”
He decried the fact that a real problem, which was addressed, was turned into an issue to secure political mileage by such violent means, creating much discomfort for people going about their business.
(By Vanessa Narine)
