As the end of the crop cycle for rice in Mahaica and Mahaicony approaches, farmers have given up the fight to save their dying and almost dead crops and are seeking assistance from the government to restart planting in the coming months.
“They warned us about the El Nino drought but what were we supposed to do? Nobody plant? I planting rice about 25 years and I never had to expend so much resource to less land too,” Vijai (only name given) a rice farmer from De Kinderen, Mahaicony, told Stabroek News yesterday. He said that while usually he would use approximately 100 gallons of fuel to get water onto 100 acres of land, he has had to use more to get water onto less land.
“I don’t know how some people are going to make it back especially those who are in debt. I mill my own paddy and I usually cut about 5000-6000 bags but now I might get about 1000. What is that supposed to do?” he questioned.
‘We want back fuel, fertilizer, paddy, something. We want a `lil start for when the next crop coming. Water start to come but we don’t need it now cause all we fields dead. How are we suppose to get back into the field? If we don’t get anything then we gotto look for a loan and is not from the bank you’ll get a loan from is the millers,” another rice farmer, Suresh, from Industry, Mahaicony, told Stabroek News, stating that even if they get loans from the millers, the agreements are usually configured in such a way that the farmers rarely benefit from them.
“They does charge you now and when you done with them is like you coming out naked, naked. The interest always high and they does even tek long to give you the money and when you done, even if you get a good crop, you don’t profit anything because you owe the miller nuff and they don’t flex. They does take everything out from dey money when you carry the paddy,” he added, stating that the authorities have been complacent as more focus should’ve been placed on the rice industry. The farmers also suggested that the government help plough their dry lands to make hay for the cattle.
Region 5 (Mahaica-Berbice), Chairman Vickchand Ramphal yesterday told Stabroek News that he stands in solidarity with the farmers and stated that the government should provide the necessary assistance to the farmers. “I will join with the farmers in saying that yes indeed the government should bring the necessary assistance for those who have lost already,” he said, suggesting that government consider supplying fertilizer, seed paddy or even cash to the farmers who have had major losses.
“I know some of the farmers would’ve applied three full doses of fertilizer for their crops and would’ve also utilized a great amount of fuel and pesticide and now they will not receive a single cent,” Ramphal added, stating that while a meeting is scheduled with the farmers today, he believed that the Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary-Agriculture Development Authority (MMA-ADA) did a lot. “I know they [MMA-ADA] would have done a lot and a lot of other farmers would’ve saved their crops because of the intervention,” he said, stating that around the Mahaica area there are some farmers who can still save their crops if the MMA continues to work assiduously.
“I will say that a great majority of the farmers in the Abary-Mahaicony block would’ve saved their crops but when it comes to the Mahaicony-Mahaica block there are still a number of farmers who will be at a great loss if they do not receive water,” he said, pointing out that there is about 400 more acres that can be saved.
“Presently there is water available in the canals, there are two hydraulic pumps that are in working condition and also fresh water is coming in from the Mahaicony River (through gravity flow) which is helping to raise the level of the water within the system,” he added, stating that most of the farmers in the Mahaica block would’ve already exhausted their resources through fuel and other costs and are now relying heavily on the two pumps. He said that one of the pumps that is located at the Perth-Baibou canal is not currently working and is expected to be up and running soon.
Proper system
While Ramphal thinks that the authorities have done as much as they can, the farmers in the Mahaicony area who have lost almost 4000 acres and counting are still convinced that the MMA-ADA is to be blamed. “Is not the MMA bring the dry weather but is the MMA fault because they ain’t got a proper system in place,” one of the farmers declared to Stabroek News.
While the farmers are facing the brunt of the El Nino drought, residents of the areas who relied on the farmers for jobs have also been left in limbo as they now have to look elsewhere to gain an income.
“Everybody talking about us the farmers facing a big loss and it is true but what happens to them other people that used to rely on us? What happens to the labourers that depended on us?” Arjune, a rice farmer form De Kinderen, Mahaicony, pointed out to Stabroek News yesterday. He said the labourers that relied on him have been getting increasingly frustrated.
“I feel sorry for some of them and give them a lil job to clear some of the bushes around my lands but what else am I going to do? This thing affecting everyone and them man getting depressed. Them man getting depressed and resorting to rum to ease they mind about it cause they ain’t got anything else they could do,” Vijai added, stating that while the price of everything is on the increase, the price of paddy is on the decrease.
“Labour, everything raise but the paddy price dropping, so what we supposed to do? We can’t drop labour costs cause them man gotto live and groceries and everything going up so tell me what we supposed to do?” Vijai questioned, stating that if the price per bag of paddy doesn’t increase for this present crop it will put the farmers in an even worse position. “Anytime farmers don’t get at least $3,000 on the paddy then they dead. Nuff ah them not gonna make it back for the next cycle,” he added.
Stabroek News learned that one of the millers has already declared a price of $2,800 per bag. The next crop cycle is supposed to start in the May-June season as this cycle has about three weeks left.
Because of the limited amount of water flowing in the canals, the farmers were forced to use pumps to water their lands. However, there wasn’t enough water to supply all of the farmers. As the demand for water heightened, some farmers started blocking the canals preventing water from flowing to the farmers who were farther away from the source. The MMA-ADA and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) had announced that anyone caught tampering with the irrigation systems would face the possibility of prosecution and being fined.
Despite being warned and encouraged to let the water flow freely through the canals, the farmers closer to the stream continued to pump the water which forced the MMA-ADA to institute regulations. Dividing the farmlands into five blocks, the authority had announced that each block would be allowed to pump water from the canal for two days with Block 1 (the farmlands farthest away from the water source) receiving water for the first two days.
However, the system never worked as farmers from other blocks continued to siphon off water every day. Suffering farmers requested stronger action from the authority, but none was taken.
When Stabroek News visited several weeks ago, the farmers had said that all they had needed was two days of water, which could have only been possible if the creek farmers stopped pumping. Currently most of the rice is over the 90-day stage. They would’ve started their bearing stage around 60 days and needed water since then. Since the bearing stage has ended no amount of added water can save them now.
