AGRICULTURE Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy will be meeting with a representative group of rice farmers early this week to discuss the form of support his ministry might be able to provide them so as to mitigate challenges the farmers are currently experiencing. This is according to a release issued by the Agriculture Ministry Friday stating that the minister has mandated the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) to put together a mechanism to support farmers in Essequibo and other regions whose paddy production suffered damage because of paddy bugs, as a consequence of which millers are offering very low prices for the affected crop.

The release said that the Ministry is offering support to these farmers to assist them in resuming preparation for the second crop of 2013; and that, consistent with its efforts in the past, the Ministry will work with the GRDB, the Guyana Rice Producers Association (GRPA) and the farmers themselves to ensure that they are able to overcome their difficulties.

Technical teams have been deployed to Region 2(Pomeroon/Supenaam) to assess the challenges faced by rice farmers and millers in that region, and to help resolve some of their concerns. The recommendations of these technical teams will be used as the basis for providing support to farmers.

The Agriculture Ministry statement noted that, in spite of the extended dry season, the first crop of 2013 has turned out to be successful in terms of production. But even with this increased production, the crop has brought several challenges, including slow intake at the rice mills; unavailability of combines and trucks; unavailability of drying and storage capacity for the existing production, which is at a record high; damage caused by insect pests or “paddy bugs”; and the low prices offered for paddy. Nevertheless, the Agriculture Ministry, the GRPA, the GRDB and the regional authorities are working with farmers and millers in addressing these challenges.

The release pointed out that while the challenges are faced by farmers and millers across the country, the problem of insect pest damage is evidently more acute in Region 2. It noted that the problem appears to be experienced by a small group of farmers, and advised that a technical team consisting of officers from the Ministry, the GRDB, the GRPA, the Pesticide and Toxic Chemicals Control Board (PTCCB), and the regional administration has commenced work in that region to assess the situation and to recommend measures to alleviate the challenges. That team will meet farmers at Hampton Court today at 10:00hrs (10 o’clock a.m.), and at Golden Fleece at 16:00 hrs (4 o’clock p.m.).

The Ministry release said a technical team was deployed to Region 2, to start with, only because the problems seem to be more intense in that region.
Nevertheless, there are regional officers in the different regions throughout the country monitoring the situation.

“Working together, we will overcome these challenges, as we did when we were faced with a shortage of irrigation water earlier in the crop. We urge full cooperation and urge political parties and elements to refrain from making this a political issue,” the release stated.

Moreover, the Ministry is calling on political parties to refrain from scoring political points, and to work with its officers and personnel to ensure that farmers are provided with all reasonable support.

According to the release, Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy has contacted both agriculture spokespersons on the opposition side, APNU’s Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine and AFC’s Mr. Prakash Ramjattan, to update them on the situation in Essequibo and around the country. (Nadine Sanchara)