The Guyana Rice Produc-ers Association (RPA) says that while the budget had some constraints since Guyana is still a developing state with limited resources, the country is on track and cannot be derailed any longer. “Every man, woman and child has been provided for in incrementally larger budgets each year.”
A release from General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj praised the government for the presentation of the largest budget ever in the National Assembly saying that each annual national budget since the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic had come into office, “has brought a new dynamism to the developmental paradigm of Guyana which has been accelerating at an unprecedented rate. Stabilised macro-economic fundamentals and sustained growth indices have been consistently achieved over the past eight years, even as many countries are facing recession on a global scale.”
It said that the struggles for viability in the agricultural sector, with the RPA’s obvious emphasis on the rice industry, does not diminish the achievements in every sector by the PPP/C Government, since they all go in tandem.
The RPA however conceded that the challenge was that constrained funds sometimes force the prioritisation of projects.
It said that of recent times the agricultural sector in general and the rice industry in particular, has taken on a development trajectory directly in line with national development under the PPP/C Govern-ment. “The rice sector…, has been achieving incrementally greater outputs as a direct result of the PPP government’s interventions and facilitating measures implemented. When one considers that during the tenure of the former regime Guyana was forced to import low-quality rice for local consumption, the progress made today in this sector, is amazing as the export market share has increased tremendously. This was only possible as a result of the support availed to the agriculture sector by successive budgets of the PPP Govern-ment,” the RPA said.
It said that the rice industry continues to remain one of the main pillars of the economy and maintains its rating as the second most important agricultural industry in Guyana.
“The significant interventions in the areas of drainage and irrigation with improved facilities, along with ongoing works being undertaken to mitigate the effects of the climate change phenomenon and other anomalies detrimentally affecting the agricultural sector, have redound to tremendous benefits in the sector. The RPA also takes the opportunity to denounce the anti-developmental actions and destructive strategies, in and out of Parliament, taken by those who are intent on stymieing the development of the nation and the upward mobility of its people,” the release added.
