I’m not very optimistic that farmers will be paid the same prices by millers as last crop for their produce.
A transparent and efficient regulatory system must be in place to ensure that the rice farmers will receive the same price of $4,000 for a bag of paddy.  This means that the farmers will need support from the Ministry of Agriculture, Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and the Guyana Rice Producer’s Association (RPA) to represent them to recover this outstanding money.

Small-scale farmers rarely benefit when there is an increase in price for rice and paddy on the Venezuelan market. Rice farmers did not receive retroactive payments from the Essequibo Farmers’ Group for their paddy which was shipped in 2012. The arrangement in the Rice Factories Act 1992 assented to by then acting President Samuel Hinds does not allow paddy farmers to share the benefits equitably with millers in return for their contribution of high quality paddy.
The millers will frequently exploit the farmers by charging additional weight for moisture and dockage for a bag of paddy, hence causing the farmers to lose about 25 bags on each bulk.
Government should aim to preserve the Venezuelan market and empower the farmers, notwithstanding the extensive news coverage to the so called Grow More Food Campaign and food security. Apart from the markets, the objective must be to open up more rice lands in the region to improve and maintain the level of production needed to satisfy the markets.
To attract young farmers to the land and keep progressive farmers on the land, upgrade and develop feeder roads to give access to farms and facilitate the bringing out of paddy which farmers found difficult during the rainy seasons and reduce losses through tractors and trailers being overturned.