REGION 2 rice farmers are calling for better systems to be put in place to avoid a repeat of what occurred under the PetroCaribe fund, under the previous Government. Naith Ram, Tage Shewcharran, Bhim Singh and Karan Chand of the Essequibo Paddy Farmers Association appeared on the National Communications Network on Saturday, expressing their dissatisfaction with the fact that the fund is empty.
Naith Ram observed that hundreds of farmers on the Essequibo Coast have not been paid since March, which has caused them to have to go to the Bank to continue their business, which is not the best way out.
Shewcharran observed that former President Bharrat Jagdeo had promised that the Funds would have been filtered down directly to the farmers.
The farmers stated that the Fund never worked for them, and called for a better system to be put in place in the light of its failure. Naith Ram expressed the hope that the Government would step in and help the rice farmers. He asked for a special revolving fund to be set aside, which was what the PetroCaribe should have been, so they could be paid on time.

“The previous Government was saying that the PetroCaribe fund was a revolving fund, but I do not know how it is a revolving fund, when we the farmers are not benefiting out of it… We want a special fund to be set aside in the Bank, whereby farmers, and likewise the millers, can go and borrow… so that we can be paid in a timely manner and not have to wait six to eight months down the road to receive our payments,” he said.
On June 11, Minister of State Joseph Harmon announced that the Fund was empty, and that US$15M was needed to pay rice farmers. The PetroCaribe Fund was set up as part of Guyana’s arrangement with Venezuela, to pay local famers supplying rice to the neighbouring country under a concessionary fuel supply agreement. Thus far the fund should have contained sums amounting to hundreds of millions of US dollars.
The Region 2 farmers also used the opportunity to call for the reform of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), and the removal of its head. “I am appealing to the Minister and the new Government that the GRDB Board must go,” Naith Ram said, adding: “The Board has been corrupt, and working in collusion with the millers. The ones who are suffering are basically the ones who are toiling in the field,” Naith Ram said.
Speaking to the issue of collusion, the farmers observed that the GRDB was working for millers and shortchanging the farmers on a number of issues, including paddy prices in terms of fertilizers and the grading of the paddy. “You have transactions going on between members of the Board with some individual millers, whereby those on the Board are having drawback from the millers.” They noted that millers purchase the paddy from farmers and then sell them to overseas markets and give the farmers a pittance.
The grading system has a law which is broken by all the millers without penalties being administered, the farmers also said. Seecharran noted that “all the millers break the law but nobody aint telling them nothing. When you cut your paddy and carry it to the mill, you cannot talk for your rights, you get victimised…the grading system they are not implementing the law, even in the weight, even in the moisture and they are taking advantage over farmers and all GRDB telling us is that they gon look into  it.”
The rice farmers also noted their concerns with the functioning and management of the drainage system on the coast, which they noted were pointed out to Agriculture Minister Noel Holder when he recently visited the region to conduct an assessment of the system.
They noted that the present pumps and hymacs that are not functioning, were operating before the National Elections, and labelled this a move to sabotage the new Government. This deeply affected the farmers and the Region should be held responsible for the issue, the farmers said.
“…the chairman, and the REO, amount of money have been given to them to pay workers, buy fuel and see these things operational, but the persons them who suppose to work this pumps, they do not go. The excavator is Government excavator…and they were given to private person,” Sewcharran explained.
The farmers called for the new Administration to have a better system and mechanism in place, whereby not only the system would be more effective but will truly represent farmers.
To this end, the farmers called for a national oversight committee to be set up for rice farmers of the country by the new Administration. They noted that for the oversight committee, the voice of the farmers must be heard with their inclusion on the committee.
The reform of the Rice Producers Association (RPA) was also raised.
The rice production this crop is expected to increase significantly and markets need to be sought, apart from Venezuela, from which the famers could benefit, they said too. (GINA)