Region 2 rice farmers say Govt ignoring their cries for help

Essequibo Coast rice farmers picketed Agriculture Minister Noel Holder as he commissioned a G$103 million pump station at Land of Plenty, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).
On Monday, Region Two rice farmers demonstrated against Minister Holder at the commissioning of two new pumps installed at the Land of Plenty koker. As the Minister made his way to the pump station, rice farmers accused him of ignoring them. According to the farmers, several letters were dispatched to the Minister concerning the hardships they are facing in the industry, but they never received any response nor acknowledgement. The farmers said that they also wrote the Minister asking for a meeting, but again to no avail.
Leading the protest was Guyana Rice Producers Association (RPA) General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj, who said that after visiting the farmers and listening to their complaints, he too wrote Minister Holder seeking his intervention, but, to date, did not receive any acknowledgement. He said the unresponsiveness of the Minister was the driving force behind the protest on Monday.
After the opening ceremony, the Minister met with the rice farmers, who shared their many concerns. Farmers are seeking the Government’s intervention to negotiate with commercial banks for loan rescheduling, assistance with fuel, seed paddy, etc. However, during the meeting, the Minister said that there was little he could do at this point, since if he granted concessions to Essequibo Coast rice farmers, it would set a precedent for others to follow. This did not sit well with the farmers, who said that they believe that Government can do something to help them, but chooses not to act. The farmers reminded the Minister that former President Bharrat Jagdeo had previously rescued the industry when they were experiencing difficulties by meeting with local banks to have loans rescheduled as well as millers, helping with removal of taxes, fertilisers, and much more to bring the industry back on its feet.
The farmers questioned why the coalition Government could not do the same for the industry.
During the protest on Monday, farmers said that the lending agencies have started to seize machinery and equipment purchased with loans.
Ken Albert Cornette of Dartmouth said that his tractor was seized earlier this month, and he lost over G$3 million in down payments. Additionally, the farmer said he lost over 200 acres of rice owing to bugs.
The Minister advised that the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) would meet with the millers, but the farmers said that they had lost all confidence in that agency.
However, GRDB General Manager Nizam Hassan said that he met with millers in Region Two, but Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt was contending that he was informed of the meeting, although it was done in the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) boardroom a few feet away from his office.
The Minister advised that all such meetings must go through the Regional Chairman, since he was part of Government and headed the Region.
On Tuesday last, having already faced reduced prices for their paddy and increased production costs, farmers in Region Two were forced to destroy over 1000 acres of their rice at State Farm, which lies aback Dartmouth on the Essequibo Coast, as a result of ‘blast and bug’ infestation.
Guyana Times International was told that in their bid to prevent a complete annihilation of the crop, some of which was badly damaged, the farmers set the fields on fire.