–prominent Essequibo businessman urges rice farmers

LOW prices for rice on the international market have, for some time now, been testing the resolve of local farmers; but some have been up to the challenge, opting for diversification to stay in business.Aside from low prices, lack of market and unfavourable weather have been taking a toll on the industry, forcing farmers throughout the rice belt to scale down on production. From the look of things, unless Guyana can locate a lucrative market as the one it once enjoyed with Venezuela, prices would increase only if one of the big rice producing countries suffers a natural disaster, rendering it temporarily unable to meet market demands.

Some farmers on the Essequibo Coast appear to understand the gravity of the situation, and are taking steps to secure the survival of their business, for which their families have been a part for generations. They related to the Guyana Chronicle that the road to survival requires a four-step approach: (1) cutting production cost (2) upping yield (3) producing quality paddy, and (4) creating a demand for rice.

Roopan Ramotar, a farmer for more than 20 years, related that soon after the price crunch began to bite, he changed course and adopted a new approach to rice farming. He no longer cultivates 500 acres of rice twice per year as he used to do before; instead, the businessman now divides his rice land between cattle rearing and rice cultivation.

And this is done on a rotational basis: 250 acres one crop for rice and the remaining space for cattle; these areas are switched around the next crop.

“In this way, I have been able to cut back on the money I spent on fertilizer, because the cows grazing on the land have contributed significantly in keeping the land fertile. This also, in turn, has resulted in a higher quality and yield of paddy. This is how I managed to be still producing rice. With farmers getting low prices for their paddy, it cannot be business as usual. Farmers will have to think outside the box if they want to stay in business, and it is very important that they embrace diversification,” Ramotar, who is also a contractor and miller, told this publication.

According to him, Guyana, in recent years, has been overproducing rice. This needs to stop, and more emphasis needs to be placed on controlled production, to avoid stockpiling and minimise farmers’ suffering from losses.

PLANT LESS
“Planting less and producing high quality paddy will improve demand; and with this happening, the price for rice will go up and farmers will get more money. And this will be supplemented by the income they earn from their cattle, sheep, or fish farm,” he said.

The seasoned businessman also noted that it is time farmers stop ‘shying’ (planting) paddy manually in the fields. He noted that this can be done with the use of a tractor.

The region, he said, can also be helpful by cleaning canals in the rice fields, so as to free up the irrigation channels. One of the canals in his rice field has been taken over by thick vegetation, obstructing the free flow of water.

According to Ramotar, he had asked Regional Executive Officer (REO) Rupert Hopkinson to clear the channel, but his request was an exercise in futility. He said the REO informed him that he is the only beneficiary in the area he is requesting to be cleared, and as such, it is not work he can approve at this time. Efforts to contact Hopkinson on the matter proved futile, and Ramotar seems to have given up on getting any help from the region.

He has since come up with an innovative strategy to get the work done. He has put several of his cows close to the canal, and the bovines appear to take great pleasure in feasting on the vegetation in the canal under the brilliant sunshine.
The animals have managed to clear a sizable portion of the weed-infested area, much to the satisfaction of Ramotar, who said, “I had to find some way or the other to get it cleared; business has to go on.”

And to keep business going and growing, he is urging the Government to establish a pasteurization plant on the Essequibo Coast, to boost the dairy industry there.

A portion of land on Ramotar’s rice field is also utilised for banana cultivation and rearing of tilapia; and nearby is his coconut factory, which has been completed.

SNAG
But the factory has been unable to go into operation, since the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) is yet to install electricity to the building, even though he applied for same some three months ago.

The businessman told the Guyana Chronicle that he has already paid for the instillation, and is pleading with the Government to look into the situation.

“The coconuts in my estate are ready to be picked. I have had to sell them out to other producers on the Essequibo Coast who are supplying overseas markets. What’s happening is really a great discouragement to an investor,” he said.

When the factory opens, it will provide direct employment for 20 Essequibians, and many more jobs indirectly. In the meantime, Ramotar has been busy negotiating with overseas dealers to buy his Roster Pomeroon Fresh Coconut Water when it is launched.

It has not been easy going, he said. Most of the dealers want him to ‘co-pack’ (package the coconut water under their brand); but, he said, he would not be falling for this trap.

“There is some danger in this. If the dealer finds a producer who produces at a cheaper cost, I will be left high and dry. I don’t want this to happen. I will launch the Roster Brand and do all I can to make it a brand name on the market,” an optimistic Ramotar said, as he overlooked his coconut estate at Caledonia from a resting house there.

Caledonia is some 20 miles in the Lower Pomeroon River. On the estate, some 500 areas of coconuts (three years, five years and bastard — a mixture of three- and five-year plants) are under cultivation.
On another 100 acres sits a young cultivation of plantains, which was being attended to by Ramotar’s workmen.