Dear Editor,

I would be very grateful if you publish this letter in reply to one published in the Guyana Chronicle  of  July 20th,  2010 entitled `A false perception of Region Two rice farmers’ written by Saleem Hamid.

In my letter I never said the government is not assisting rice farmers in terms of Drainage and Irrigation facilities and good dams etc. All I talked about is payment for our paddy produced by hard labour Mr. Hamid.

Minister Robert Persaud said millers must pay farmers interest on money owed to them after 54 days of purchase. What I am suggesting is that millers should go to the banks take loans and pay the farmers in full and use the interest that they have to pay farmers and pay the banks instead for their loans. Up to now we farmers are without payments – the situation is not changing. Look at one instance, the NGMC is finding markets in the Caribbean and further afield for fruits and vegetables.

Many years ago, farmers used to mill their paddy at small rice mills, and then transport their rice to the rice marketing board in Georgetown where the board purchased the rice. Farmers were paid within three weeks in full for their produce why is it the government cannot export rice? Because the board is the property of the government as well as the New Guyana Marketing Corporation.

Fruits and vegetables are exported through the NGMC why can’t rice be exported by the government board. The government has to take control now if farmers are to be saved – knock out the millers from the exporting market and the situation will change!

As Mr. Hamid stated “the business of paddy sold to millers is a private transportation between farmers and millers” – yes indeed it is a private transaction but look what is happening. Millers are taking advantage of us – no payment – every week we are checking for payments – what are we going to do Mr. Hamid the shops are not giving credit for food, how will our children go to school? What about our health?  Who will pay the labourers who work with us? Our wives can’t go to the market to buy groceries there is no money? We work hard, toil and sweat and can’t get our payments and you talking about private transaction where is the government we elected to serve us?

The government has to take the bull by the horn. Laws take too long – we need our payments now!

Mr. Hamid it seems like you are short of understanding and ignorant of the facts I am talking about. You seem one sided – let’s face the facts – I am not accusing the government of wrong doing, all I am talking about is that we rice farmers are not getting our payments for our produce sold to millers several weeks ago.

Yours faithfully,
Indar Bacchus