FOLLOWING meetings held with aggrieved rice farmers and other stakeholders, a number of initiatives have been taken to address the issue of late payments in Regions 2 (Pomeroon/Supenaam) and 6 (East Berbice/Corentyne).Head of the Guyana Rice Producers Association (RPA), Mr Dharamkumar Seeraj, told the Guyana Chronicle yesterday in an interview that both the RPA and representatives of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) met with rice farmers in Black Bush Polder over the weekend to address their last week protest over late payments being made by the Mahaicony Rice Mill.

“We met with the farmers and the representatives of the Mahaicony Rice Mill. Farmers there will be fully paid by Thursday,” he said.

Seeraj explained that the miller has been experiencing difficulties with his banker, and if those challenges are not resolved, the monies would be passed through the GRBD, which would make the payments directly to the farmers.

“The Mahaicony Rice Mill is the only mill that owes farmers in Region 6. The total sales to that mill were $178M, of which $56M (are) left to be paid out,” the RPA Head said.

BY MONTH END
Seeraj noted that almost all of the small scale rice farmers in Region 2 have been fully paid.
“The other farmers will be paid by the end of the month,” he said.

The RPA Head explained that three millers owe farmers in Region 2: Wasir Hoosein, the Golden Fleece Rice Mill, and the Ramlakhan Rice Mill.

“The millers still have stocks in hand, and once those are liquidated, payments will be completed,” he said.

Seeraj said paddy sales in Region 2 were valued at some $3.8B, of which $3.4B were paid out. Until the remaining sums have been paid off, Seeraj noted, a number of initiatives would have to be taken, among which are making fertiliser and seed paddy available to rice farmers to ensure that their replanting of a new rice crop would not be affected.
“So far, we have had $300M in fertiliser provided by the GRDB and an additional $50M in seed paddy and fertiliser provided by the RPA, to help farmers. This is in addition to the interventions of the Government,” he said.

Seeraj noted that, as the rice industry advances, challenges will arise; but he expressed optimism that, in 2015, challenges with payments would be less of a problem.

Last year’s production was another record-breaker for the rice industry, with a production of 635,238 tonnes, 501,208 tonnes of which were exported.

Production in the final crop of last year surpassed that of the first crop, which recorded just over 300,000 tonnes. Production for 2013 was 535,212 tonnes, which was far above the original target of 413,000 tonnes, and reflected a 27 per cent increase over the production in 2012. The average production per hectare was some five tonnes.

The rice production target for 2015 is 618,000 tonnes.
(Vanessa Narine)