Consultations a must before NDCs, municipalities roll out projects – Mustapha

In light of the recent increase of subventions to Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC) from $5 million to $30 million, and Municipalities from $18 million to $50 million, the Guyana Government has underscored the need for these local authority bodies to consult with residents before implementing community projects.
There are massive plans for further development, however, residents must have a say in the decision-making process at the Municipalities and NDCs.

This is according to the Executive Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), Zulfikar Mustapha. His comments came as he met with residents of Crabwood Creek on Saturday.
Government recently announced a substantial increase in subventions to NDCs and Municipalities. However, Mustapha noted that this is not a licence for those local authorities to implement programmes and projects as they want.
Mustapha, who is also the Agriculture Minister, said there must be consultations with citizens.
“We have to have the input of the people who are living here, who are experiencing this condition, and they must have an input. I saw a complaint went to the Vice President, who is the General Secretary of our party, that proper consultation was not done in an area, for the subvention part to be planned properly. And he has instructed that a Minister will deal with that.
That is the kind of response, and that is the kind of way we work. We don’t want to sit in our office and dictate; I could have sit in my office and said for agriculture, I will do this for Crabwood Creek. I would have known that Baba Grant needs help, or the farmers need four to six hours work individually, or you need a bridge at Baba Grant to cross over a canal. So these things, when you raise it, I now will look at it to ensure that the officers deal with these things.”
Among some of the issues raised by residents at Crabwood Creek was the need for assistance in the agriculture sector from the Ministry. Also, the need for excavators to work in the farmlands and for improved drainage and irrigation.
One farmer questioned the proposed price for paddy at the next crop, noting that it would determine whether they would go back into the crop.
“When you look at the world market today, the price for grain has been dropping, dipping all the time. If you look around the world, especially for rice, we have seen a drastic decline in the price for rice.
Because why? Large producers around the world, they have been producing a large amount of rice back into the world market. So the production is big. You have a large, increased production. And when you have increased production, that will eventually drive the price down. So when you look, farmers around the world are facing difficulties. With the cost of production increasing, and the price for the produce declining, that’s a serious problem,” Mustapha explained.
The Minister pointed out that rice farmers in Guyana are fortunate in that they are receiving the same price for paddy this crop as they did last year.
“In neighbouring Suriname, people have dumped their paddy because of the price. The Suriname Government has not subsidised the price for them, but the Guyana Government has subsidised the price for you. Every bag of paddy you sold, we are giving you $300 from the Government. Three hundred dollars for every bag of paddy a farmer sold to the mill. So the millers are buying the paddy for $3,700 and we are giving you $300 from the Government,” the community was told.
In recent months, the global rice market has experienced a notable decline in prices, driven by a combination of factors including increased production, favourable weather conditions, and changes in demand dynamics. Major rice-producing countries have reported higher yields due to optimal growing conditions, leading to an oversupply in the market.
The benchmark price falling from approximately $600 per tonne in early 2023 to around $450 per tonne by October 2023. This 25 per cent decrease can be attributed to a surge in production, particularly in countries like India and Thailand, which have reported record harvests due to favourable weather conditions.
Additionally, demand from major importing nations, including the Philippines and China, has reduced further exerting downward pressure on prices. This drop has affected rice producers and exporters.