MMA farmers complain of irrigation, non-payment by millers, skewed land allocations

By Andrew Carmichael

Rice farmers in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) have been forced to provide their own drainage and irrigation since the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary – Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA) which they have been paying taxes to has neglected its responsibility for the past five years.
This complaint was lodged with Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, who met with farmers in the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary area on Saturday.
The issue of land allocation is also a major concern for cattle farmers along the Mahaicony River while rice farmers complain of non-payment by many Region Five millers.
Mustapha met with farmers at Number 10 Mahaica Creek, Mortice Mahaicony Branch Road, Karamat Landing, Mahaicony Creek and Abary Creek where many of the same complaints were repeated.
Region Five is an agriculture-based region with rice being its main agriculture product. In fact, the region is the country’s largest.
Some 40,914 hectares, or 101,100 acres, was sown in Region Five for the second crop which is currently being harvested. The region is reporting a yield of 5.75 tonnes per hectare.
As such, the Agriculture Minister, during his second official visit to the region since being appointed less than two months ago, visited the rice-producing communities of Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary.
Several issues were raised by the farmers who said that the Agriculture Minister under the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government did not engage them.
At Number 10 Mahaica Creek, farmers requested an engineering review of the drainage and irrigation system, noting that the time has come for them to have pumps to assist with both irrigation and drainage.
However, it was noted that with a review of the system, an informed decision can be taken in this regard. Another issue of concern to those rice farmers is a lack of payment for paddy sold to millers in a timely manner.
This, the Minister said, is being addressed through Government. He explained that the Panamanian Government has promised that outstanding payment to Guyanese millers is expected to be made before the end of the year.
Panama owes Guyana in excess on $1 billion for rice sold to that country. It was only after the new Administration took office that the contact was made public with Panama for the outstanding payment. Panama has agreed to settle its debt with Guyanese milers before the end of the year and also to pay whatever interest would have incurred of the payment.
According to Mustapha, many of the millers are also indebted to the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).
Meanwhile, cattle farmers called in the Agriculture Ministry to review the issuance of land to persons from out of the community by the previous Administration when those farmers in Mahaica Creek are in need of land for their cattle.
Farmers told the Minister that they are at the mercy of millers when they take their paddy there for sale. They said they have no way of verifying the weight, moisture content and quality and they have to accept whatever the miller says.
Mustapha said systems will soon be put in place to ensure that officials from the GRDB are stationed at mills. In addition to that, the National Bureau of Standard will be asked to verify the scales millers have before the commencement of harvesting.
He said that he has requested a list from the GRBD of millers who have not been paying rice farmers.
“But there is a serious problem where our millers are not being paid too,” Mustapha told the farmers.
Meanwhile, Mortice Mahaicony Branch Road farmers also raised their concerns with the Minister.
One teacher in the area, Inderjeet Persaud, said they are very appreciative of the help they have been receiving with drainage and irrigation.
According to Persaud, there are about 2000 acres of land, some of which is used by cattle farmers but recently strangers started occupying that land.
“Some of them come from as far as Hopetown and Belladrum. We don’t have a problem with people getting land – this is Guyana but we are urging that the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary – Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA) do not be involved in distributing any lands at the back until a committee is established where our communities have representatives on that committee and we look at the best-case scenario so that fairness can take place,” Persaud urged the Minister.
As it relates to the distribution of land, he said he will be having a dialogue with the MMA.
Several other issues were raised pertaining to telephone access and the high land taxes which were imposed by the MMA under the previous Administration.
However, Mustapha noted that all of those increases and the taxes of agriculture equipment and supplies have been reversed to what they were in 2014 when the PPP/C was in Government.
Meanwhile, at Karamat Landing, Mahaicony Creek, Bandoe Baltic told the Minister that he and other farmers have been paying the MMA taxes annually for which they should supply drainage and irrigation. However, for the past five years, he has gotten none.
“I have had to pump water into my rice field to start the crop and when I am ready to harvest I have to pump it out. All the drains are clogged up.”
Another rice farmer, Kamie Davi Panda, who cultivates 40 acres of rice, told a similar story.
This issue was also raised at Number 10 Mahaica Creek and the Minister promised that an excavator will be sent to the area permanently. Before that meeting was over, the machine was already there.
At Karamat, the Minister made a similar promise. However, the excavator is expected before the end of the week.