RICE farmers on Essequibo Coast, who have suffered losses due to bug infestation to their crop, will be given assistance by Government in the form of seed paddy and fertilisers.

The aid will be disbursed through the Rice Producers Association (RPA) and the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. George Jervis announced yesterday.
Addressing scores of the planters in the Regional Boardroom at Anna Regina, he said those affected would be helped so they can go back to their fields and start preparation for the Autumn season.
Jervis also apologised for the absence of Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, because of other pressing Government business.
RPA General Secretary, Mr. Dharamkumar Seeraj, who also addressed the gathering, called on those present to be strong.
He said the rice industry is, currently, facing a problem with cash flow which must be dealt with at that level, noting that the crop was a big one for which some 220,000 acres were cultivated.
Seeraj, pointing out that paddy will be exported to Venezuela from June and the first $500M to pay farmers would be sent to Essequibo, assured that the cash flow will be solved quickly.
He called on millers to give farmers advance payments and said it is their responsibility to do so.

Will visit
Seeraj disclosed that he and other RPA officers and some from the GRDB will visit every mill on Essequibo Coast to deal with farmers’ cases individually.
He said the vouchers would be examined and, if millers have taken overweight per bag, then they will either have to give a better grade or pay for the extra weight of paddy.
Seeraj said some paddy was bad but will be looked at in terms of grade.
Miller of the Golden Fleece Rice Investments, Mr. Naizmul Hakh said his company is exporting rice to Jamaica but he is facing a serious problem to access containers for shipment in Georgetown and he is selling to that island on credit.
About paying farmers, he said his company is doing so on a small scale, amounting to between $6M and $10M per week. Up to Tuesday, May 7, his company had paid $264M in advances.
Hakh said he has bought in excess of $1.2 billion in paddy from farmers.
Another miller, Mr. Ramlakhan said his company has paid more than $100M in advances to farmers and the entire paddy he has purchased is still in his bond. None has left for Venezuela as yet and he asked where he will get the money to pay farmers.