Rice farmers across Guyana are in high praise of subsidy by Govt

Dear Editor,
Over the past several weeks, there has been much discussion about the state of Guyana’s agriculture sector. While there have been both positive and negative comments, I wish to share what I personally observed after visiting several of the country’s major rice-producing regions.
Many rice farmers expressed frustration with some regional agricultural officials. Farmers explained that when they submit complaints, make suggestions, or seek assistance, the officials often listen, take notes and promise to follow up, yet little or no action is taken. However, once the President or Minister of Agriculture visits the region and those same issues are raised publicly, the matters are suddenly addressed.
When the President or Minister visits the regions, and those very complaints, suggestions, or help matters are raised at this point, then those very officers act on the same matter that was raised with them before the visit.
I have said before, and I repeat it today, that Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo was correct when he warned against public officials acting as “lords” over the people. Unfortunately, this criticism applies to some officials across various ministries, including sections of the agriculture sector. Public servants are paid by taxpayers to serve the public efficiently, professionally and fairly. Farmers should not have to wait until a Ministerial visit before receiving attention to legitimate concerns.
This jankilar way of work needs to stop, and those officials must know that they are being paid by taxpayers’ money to do their public servant jobs and must do it to the best of their ability in ensuring that help and assistance are being given to the farmers.
Having said that, I must also acknowledge what I witnessed during the recent distribution of rice farmers’ relief cheques across the country.
As I have travelled the rice farming regions over the past weeks to observe the distribution of the relief rice farmers’ cheques, I must say that rice farmers across this country are happy and echoed that happiness in every way they possibly could as they wholeheartedly and publicly praised the Government of Guyana.
Farmers weren’t just praising the Government for their strong stand for agriculture but also reflected on how badly they were treated between 2015 and 2020 by the then PNC (APNUAFC) Government and Minister of agriculture.
Farmers recalled increases in drainage and irrigation (D&I) charges and land rental fees during that period. Others spoke about inadequate maintenance of drainage and irrigation infrastructure and the financial difficulties they faced because of low paddy prices and increasing production costs.
Agricultural machinery and equipment were heavily taxed under the PNC Government, which also created hardship for farmers so they could not have invested because of the cost of that machinery and equipment that are needed in the industry.
Today, rice farmers are happy because this PPP Government has since taken out the burden by dropping the D&I and land rental fee to where it was when they left office in 2015. Tax was halted/reduced on agricultural machinery and equipment and products. Leaving more in the pockets of the farmers so that they can invest and better the rice industry.
Many said these initiatives have allowed them to reinvest in their farms and improve production.
At the same time, farmers also acknowledged that agriculture remains vulnerable to challenges beyond any Government’s control. Climate change has resulted in increasingly unpredictable and intense rainfall, creating flooding that affects production. They also recognised that rice prices are influenced by international markets and that fluctuations in global demand inevitably affect local producers.
Farmers also acknowledge that the price of their produce is sometimes different, and that is due to the world market, and around the world, the price for rice is fluctuating. So, they have to be prepared at times for the worst.
Over the past months, the main Opposition US-sanctioned leader and his team – I won’t even talk about PNC because they are dead flies – have been talking and targeting the agriculture sector of this country, but the real questions should be: what has the Opposition done to better agriculture between 2015 and 2020, and does the PNC need to answer that? What does the main Opposition leader know of agriculture? What has the main Opposition spokesman on agriculture done in his days to better GuySuCo? Wasn’t it the main Opposition spokesman on agriculture, the one that joined hands with PNC to close down the sugar estates and send thousands of sugar workers packing? What was done for the cash crop farmers? What was done for the cattle farmers?
Today, these so-called uneducated ones on agriculture want to lecture this Government about agricultural development and best practices. Shameless set of people.
The Opposition parties should be ashamed to even speak up on this sector because they are the ones, and yes, I say they are the ones, because many of them that are now in WIN and PNC are the ones that tried to undermine the development of agriculture and the people of Guyana.
I am challenging the PNC Government and those in WIN that were part of the PNC Government between 2015 and 2020 to explain to this nation what they did to improve the agriculture sector and what benefits the people had under that Government.

Kind regards,
Abel Seetaram