Wakenaam farmers take rice company to court over unpaid monies

Wakenaam, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) rice farmers who are owed millions by rice giant Golden Grains Investments out of Dubai are now moving to the High Court to have the company stump up payments.
Golden Grains Investments reportedly owes a number of rice farmers some million and has failed for months now to pay its outstanding debts.
This newspaper was told that the company – which was previously Alesie Rice Group – has since informed farmers that it was encountering financial difficulties and was unable to make the payments.
A farmer revealed that an executive of the rice company following several promises to pay the farmers subsequently issued bounced cheques to them.
The money owed to the farmers is for paddy sold to the company last crop and as such, farmers on the island are contending that their livelihood is being affected, causing challenges to invest in the new crop.
Guyana Times was informed that following the meeting with the farmers a collective decision was made by them to take the rice company to court.
As such, their lawyers, Anil Nandlall and Manoj Narayan, will be pursuing legal action against the company. Speaking with this publication, Narayan said that legal action has been filed. He noted that investigations have since revealed that the previous owner of the company is affiliated with Golden Grains Investments. He added that receipts given to the farmers following purchases by Golden Grain Investments show the name of another company – Guyana Rice Processor Inc – which is currently owned by the previous owner, Alesie Rice Group.
Narayan added that contrary to what was reported by Golden Grain Investments to the farmers, the General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Allison Peters has since revealed that the company was unable to acquire an export licence to export rice, which might be the reason for it being unable to pay outstanding debts. The investors of the two companies announced back in April of this year that they had reached a purchase agreement and Golden Grain Investments had acquired all of the Alesie Group’s assets in Ruimzeigt, Vreed-en-Hoop, Wakenaam, and Corriverton.