The rice industry, like sugar, has been a victim of the venom of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC). As part of its attack on agriculture, APNU/AFC has reduced the agriculture budget every year since it got into Government, by more than $3 billion since 2015, a reduction that affects rice significantly. In the past two weeks, several of its vile attacks on agriculture focused on rice. First, there is the story of 2000 acres of rice crops threatened by Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) withholding irrigation water from rice farmers. Second, there is the story of millers being owed more than $2 billion since July 2017. Third, there is the story of rice farmers from Hope given notice to vacate their rice fields and, fourth, rice farmers are being threatened by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) with withholding water for irrigation.
APNU/AFC’s relentless assault on agriculture is not a mindless assault – it is an assault targeting the stronghold for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and Bharrat Jagdeo. Sugar is a victim of the hatred for Jagan, Jagdeo and the PPP. Even though Jagan is long gone, his spirit and his inspiration live on in Guyanese of all walks of life, but particularly among sugar workers and farmers. It is this spirit and inspiration that APNU/AFC fears the most and that is behind its reprehensible assault on sugar and agriculture. As it continues its despicable effort to strangle agriculture, not satisfied with its almost fatal suffocation of sugar, rice has been a primary target.
This past week exposes prime examples of the quiet but vigorous effort to stifle rice. There is the scandal of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) owing rice millers more than $2 billion (about US$10 million) since last July for rice exported to Panama. The Panama rice arrangement was finalised by myself and the GRDB back in 2012. It is a government-to-government deal. Payments are made directly to the GRDB and then remitted to millers. Non-payment to millers creates a cash flow problem, with rice farmers as victims. Millers owe hundreds of millions of dollars to poor rice farmers. This problem is compounded, because the first crop harvesting is about to begin. The already beleaguered rice farmers, owed hundreds of millions of dollars, will face an uphill battle to be paid for their paddy. As if this is not enough stress, the farmers continue to suffer from low payments.
Payment to millers and farmers was a prominent issue during the 2015 election campaign. Not only did APNU/AFC leaders promise farmers $9000 per bag of paddy, they also promised both farmers and millers that they would ensure prompt payment. There are tapes of their public meetings which are widely available in which they made such promises. Indeed, they also made these promises on television programmes. One of the hosts of these TV programmes, Dr Ramayya in Berbice, can attest to the many promises they made. It is repugnant that not only are they not keeping their promises, not only are they betraying the rice farmers and their families, they are shamelessly lying. Not keeping promises is disappointing, but lying about it is reprehensible.
Another vicious attack on rice farmers came in the form of letters issued by APNU/AFC to many rice farmers in Hope demanding they vacate the land which they have occupied for many years. The reason is that the farmers are unable to comply with the more than 300 per cent increase in lease payments. These rice farmers are not the only ones who face the strong-arm tactics of seizing land, an attack on their constitutional rights. In West Berbice, APNU/AFC arbitrarily seized the land of legitimate farmers and the courts and the Chief Justice has told the President and APNU/AFC that they are acting illegally and unconstitutionally. At the same time, the NDIA which arbitrarily increased rates for water users has threatened farmers with withholding irrigation water unless they pay through the Water Users Association (WUA) the increased rates.
Make no mistake, agriculture is under attack from APNU/AFC. Each day more examples are being seen as sugar and rice struggle to stay alive. Clearly, APNU/AFC is orphaning agriculture. With oil on the horizon, APNU/AFC believes that it could target agriculture to strangle the PPP. This is nothing but a stupid political hatchet job, trying to impoverish farmers as a way to put a knife into the heart of the PPP. It will not work. OIL is good for Guyana, but AGRICULTURE is the lifeblood of our country.
