AS an Afro-Guyanese rice farmer and Vice-President of the Guyana Rice Producers Association, I wish to shed some light in relation to a letter written by Mr. Michael Maxwell published by the Tuesday, August 31, 2010 edition of Stabroek News regarding Guyana’s first ever access to supply rice and paddy to our western neighbour, Venezuela. I would like to state that with the acquisition of the Venezuelan market farmers and millers alike were able to access a lucrative market, rather than depending on traditional markets which are often affected by international factors sometimes resulting in a steep drop in prices.

Farmers’ greater access to markets allow them to bargain with millers resulting in fair competition and better prices for farmers without having to wait on long periods for payments from some millers. The government’s accession of the Venezuelan market has certainly provided an alternative for all farmers and millers and not for Indo-Guyanese alone, but Afro-Guyanese as well, are we invisible? Hence, Mr. Maxwell has failed in his endeavour to paint a false picture of discrimination and favoritism within the rice sector.

While there is lots more to be done  in the rice sector, I would like to invite Mr. Maxwell to come and walk with me to meet with rice farmers  of all ethnicity in the fields rather assuming what is taking place in the sector from behind a desk. Only then can you attest to farmers’ appreciation of government’s effort in securing additional markets for farmers’ rice/paddy, some of whom depend solely on rice farming as a means of earning a livelihood.
I would also like to formally commend the government, Ministry of Agriculture and other stakeholders on behalf of rice farmers for their efforts to deliver on a commitment to access additional markets for Guyana’s rice.

In closing, I invite Mr. Maxwell and his political handlers to look forward to the bright future ahead for all Guyanese despite ethnicity and political persuasion and not be engaged in propagating seeds of disunity.