RICE farmers can expect to be paid off principal amounts owed to them by millers before the end of the month, according to Head of the Guyana Rice Producers’ Association (RPA), Dharamkumar Seeraj.

“We have been assured that famers should be paid off by the third week in January. So far farmers in Region 3 (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) and Region 6 (East Berbice/ Corentyne) are still owed,” he said.
Seeraj added that RPA officials are expected to visit farmers in the two regions to ensure that the promise of payment has been honoured.
He noted too that a meeting is planned for later this month with farmers in all the rice producing regions to discuss the payment of interest owed on monies that were paid late.
Legal Action
The RPA General Secretary stated that legal action against Ancient County Investment Inc; in Tarlogie Farm, Corentyne, a delinquent rice miller, is still scheduled to proceed.
Some $300m was owed to farmers supplying the mill and over the weekend dozens of farmers protested at the Ancient Country Investment Inc. base, contending that the cheques issued by the company bounced when presented at the bank.
The protesting farmers were even more peeved when they were told that the company will not be conducting business that day and therefore they could not meet with any representative.
Seeraj said payments were made this week and will continue before the end of the month.
In the meantime, as the performance of the rice sector has topped yearly targets with production in 2013 coming in at over 530,000 tonnes, the issue of non-payment to farmers remains a major challenge for the industry.