President of the Essequibo Paddy Farmers Association (EPFA) Naith Ram is keen to remove what he says might be the misconception that the emergence of a large, reliable market under the ongoing PetroCaribe agreement with neighbouring Venezuela has dramatically altered the fortunes of rice farmers in Essequibo.
In fact, Ram says, conditions in the rice sector in Essequibo have pushed the association to a point of calling for a significant state subsidy that would embrace cheaper fuel, insecticide, fertilizer, and more. And he says farmers have proposed setting up their own mill as a way of dealing with the challenges they face.
Asked about the challenges, he raises the issue of what appears to be unending differences between farmers and millers over