Dear Editor,
Farmers who sold their paddy to a certain rice miller have not been paid for this crop and it seems as though the government will have to bail him out again. The farmers and their families will have a black Christmas without their money; at the moment their crop is 21 days old and needs its first dose of urea and the TSP fertilizer necessary for normal plant growth.
Urea , TSP and potassium are considered the primary food elements; the plants will have stunted growth and maturity will be delayed if these fertilizers are not applied on time. The farmers who are owed for their paddy will now have to borrow money from the banks at a high interest rate or take credit from their input suppliers to buy their first, second and third dose fertilizers to make sure they have a bountiful rice crops so they can pay off their debts and return to the land.
This same miller is selling the farmers that he owes for their paddy, fertilizers on credit at high interest, and this will be deducted from their payment.
Farmers are very unhappy with this situation and are blaming the government and the Guyana Rice Development Board for doing nothing year after year to arrest the situation and make their lives better. This rice miller is evading the Rice Factory Act, which states that farmers must be paid within two weeks for their produce.
If he fails to pay the farmer within the two weeks or one month in full, interest will be charged. This particular miller can be seen buying new combines, tractors, etc, and making large-scale investments on his complex while owing the rice farmers. One would have to come to the conclusion that he is using the farmers’ payment to enrich himself and at the same time modernize his factory. Every day rice farmers are trying to make ends meet so they can buy clothes, books and food as well as pay transportation for their children to go to school to get an education.
Many farmers still haven’t being paid and some are broke. Each day of delay in payment means a lot of distress for them. The farmers’ fury after the last crop caused a massive protest at Mainstay over payment; six farmers were charged for blocking the road and setting it afire. Government will once again have to rescue this rice miller with a subsidy programe and disburse millions to pay farmers for the paddy bought.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan