THE Ministry of Agriculture is prepared to work with all farmers and stakeholders in the rice industry to ensure timely payments for paddy.
The assurance was given by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. George Jarvis, who was speaking at a recent meeting in the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) office at Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast.3

Jarvis, responding to a question by an extension officer about the long delay by millers to pay for farmers paddy, said the deal between farmers and millers is a private one and Government cannot determine the price.
He, however, assured that the Agriculture Ministry is prepared to work with all stakeholders to make sure that farmers get timely payments for their paddy.
The Permanent Secretary said the Ministry of Agriculture is also prepared to offer legal support to farmers taking millers to Court for money owed for paddy but no farmer is coming forward to make use of the legal assistance.
Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Alli Baksh, who was also at the meeting, said farmers should confront millers in terms of getting good prices for their paddy and not picket the GRDB office at Anna Regina.
According to him, the Government, in its intervention role, works through the Rice Producers Association (RPA) and the GRDB, in terms of the agreement for the purchase of paddy.
The Minister, in his remarks to officers of the RPA and GRDB, called for more interaction with farmers on the ground and gave an update on the Venezuelan market for rice.