FARMERS of Regions Two, Four, Five and Six were guided in the right direction by President Bharrat Jagdeo in their quest to find the best possible action to get the money owed them by the Mahaicony Rice Mill Limited (MRL). Farmers from the four regions, who are at odds with the MRL for the debt which the company owes them since the first crop of 2010, met President Jagdeo Monday at the Office of the President.
About 400 rice farmers are owed US$2M for the supply of paddy to the MRL for the purpose of milling and export to European markets.
During the meeting with the farmers, President Jagdeo proposed a range of options for them to exercise, including filing a class-action lawsuit in the commercial court where there is likely to be quicker action.
He promised the farmers that he will make contact with the principal of MRL to register their concerns about the delay in payment and how it is affecting their livelihoods.
The farmers are to meet the President in three weeks to follow up on the issue and decide on a number of necessary initiatives to ensure farmers are given their dues.
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud, who was also part of the meeting, said the President’s intervention was necessary, given the need to decide on the other options.
“One would hope that Mahaicony Rice Mill would continue to see the wisdom and settle its debt to the outstanding 400 farmers. This is casting a negative shadow over the milling community as well as a blotch on the success we make in the rice industry,” Minister Persaud said.
He vowed that all avenues, including legal ones, will be pursued by the Government if necessary, to ensure that the farmers receive the money owed to them in a timely manner.
The Agriculture Minister had only recently urged the MRL to do the right thing and the Guyana Police Force and the court to act speedily on the “unethical” actions of the company officials to come out of hiding and provide the books of the company for inspection by the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB)
Various attempts have been made to resolve the discrepancy between the farmers and MRL at the level of the Agriculture Minister, the Rice Producers Association, (RPA) the GRDB and the principals of MRL rice, but to no avail.
General Secretary of the RPA Dharamkumar Seeraj, who also was part of today’s meeting, said most of the promises made at the various meetings were never realized prompting the rice farmers to take the issues to the level of the Head of State, with the hope of a hasty resolution of the issue with government intervention. (GINA)