The spike in the price for fertilisers has resulted in Region Two rice farmers protesting and calling for immediate intervention by the Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha.
Scores of rice farmers on Friday staged a protest saying that the price for fertiliser offered in the region is too high and that the stocks that private individuals are selling are old.
Farmers who spoke with Stabroek News said that private individuals are selling the fertilisers for $9500 a bag and they believed that they are being exploited. Many of them related that with the high price of fertiliser it will be unprofitable for them to venture back into their fields.
“This industry getting hard every day, now the fertiliser prices raise and we struggling to buy it, it’s so hard”, a rice farmer related.
Meanwhile, at the recent statutory meeting of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) for Pomeroon/Supenaam, the matter was raised. Regional Vice Chairman Humace Oodit said that many farmers had complained to him about the issue and he raised it with the subject Minister. He said that Minister Mustapha immediately intervened and the retail price for TSP was reduced to $8,200 per bag. He, however, said that they are also aware that the stock in the market is old, and as such a negotiation process is currently ongoing with the Ministry and private millers.
Oodit said that due to the COVID-19 pandemic the fertiliser price has increased internationally but that the fertilisers that are currently being sold to rice farmers were purchased last year.
He however assured rice farmers that the Minister of Agriculture is in constant communication with the private individuals to lower the cost of urea so that rice farmers can benefit.
When this was related to rice farmers, they said, “speaking to officials is like throwing water on duck back, we need urgent intervention, rice farmers are already suffering with low paddy prices and with the high price for fertiliser it will only give us less profit”.
