Rice farmers in regions Two and Six are still dissatisfied and continue to agitate for higher prices from millers for their paddy with farmers at Black Bush Polder in their third day of protest. They argue that the current prices offered would put them out of business.
The protest along the Black Bush Polder main access road in Region Six continued into its third day with rice farmers calling for a meeting with President Irfaan Ali or Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo to air their concerns as it relates to the reduction of paddy price.
The protest which initially started in Black Bush Polder (BBP) ended up along the Number 43 Public Road as the rice farmers from BBP ventured to the main access road in an effort to gain more attention yesterday afternoon.
The farmers have blocked the road in Lesbeholden and Johanna and are calling on rice millers to give them $70,000 per metric ton of paddy instead of $65,000, a price which is expected to drop further in the coming weeks. (See other story on page 2)
One rice farmer, Prem, from Johanna Black Bush Polder, expressed his frustration at the situation, noting that they were told that the price will drop as low as $52,000 and that is not tolerable. “We are not satisfied, there is (somebody) to represent us. I want to ask the President and (Agriculture) Minister (Zulfikar) Mustapha how can the farmers survive this atrocity?”
Another rice farmer recalled that they were promised by the government during the campaign for general elections that rice farmers will get the good life. “… this is the good life wah abbay get?” he questioned.
According to that farmer, he is being told that the price is now at $60,000 and that it will soon be at $55,000, “Me want let the government look into this,” he demanded
The farmers have repeatedly said that they want to have a meeting with either President Ali or Vice President Jagdeo. They are also requesting that government move to reduce the cost of fertilizers, diesel and other items. “Right now all them gas station in Black Bush close and today is three days we a protest and nobody na come”, another rice farmer noted.
A female farmer, Barbara Phoenix, 40, of Mibicuri, Black Bush Polder, who was present at the protest, stated, “There will be no peace until the president comes in, we need the president.”
According to her, if the millers are to pay less than $70,000 then the farmers will not be able to work next crop, “Our children won’t be able to go to school, we won’t be able to pay the bank.”
She added, “This is day three protest and we are not seeing anybody, not the president not the Minister of Agriculture but they sending the police out here to harass we, we are not cussing we are not fighting but we blocking the road because if we doesn’t do that we not gonna get the response from the president and I think this is the right thing we are doing.”
The protesters used vehicles and stood in the middle of the Number 43 Public Road and impeded the flow of traffic from both directions. Police ranks who arrived on the scene tried to remove the men which resulted in a scuffle between the two sides.
Yesterday, Stabroek News was told that three persons were arrested at the scene but two were later released. One of the persons who was arrested claimed that he was standing with the farmers across the main road when the police “just brace we that them want pass the car and them brace and me brace and then them say me hit one a them and them chuck me up and throw me in the canter and gone 51 station hold me up.”
He said he was placed in the lock up for some time after which he was asked to provide a statement with his address and contact information then he was released. “I walk from (No) 51 (Village) come back here, because me na get slippers, me na get money nothing a me pocket.”
He recounted, “Them drag me down the road and tear out my pants pocket all.”
Meanwhile, the farmers were angry at the police and pointed out that several of them were not wearing their name tags. “Look how them a treat we like a dog and we only come protest here,” several of the farmers yelled.
There were several persons along the roadway who were not rice farmers but who opted to egg on the farmers to block the road.
Meanwhile, a senior police on the ground told Stabroek News that the possibility should be considered that some of the name tags fell off during the confrontation while the police were attempting to clear the road.
However, several calls to Commander of Region Six, Superintendent Boodnarine Persaud, to ascertain how many persons were arrested and why some of the police did not have on their name tags, went unanswered yesterday.
Region Two
Meanwhile, in Region Two, scores of rice farmers demanded higher prices for their paddy this year. They made this clearly known at a meeting held with the Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha last evening at the Regional State House, Anna Regina.
During the meeting, rice farmers presented a breakdown of the cost of production to cultivate a 10-acre plot and explained to the Minister that the current price currently proposed cannot offset their overhead expenses. Golden Rice Investment (a miller) owner Nazeemul Hakh proposed a price of $3500 for a bag of Grade ‘A’ paddy and $3400 for ‘B’ and ‘C’ grades. This was roundly rejected by a majority of the farmers since it was a shortfall of $600 per bag compared to last crop. Many of them also told the minister and his team that they owe the bank and are currently before the court.
“That price cannot pay clearly, with that we won’t even get $40,000 profit it’s really unfair the Government has to see to subsidize the industry” a rice farmer Deoram Prahalad said.
Mustapha in his response to the rice farmer, said that he had a meeting with the Guyana Rice Millers and Exporters Association asking them to pay rice farmers more for their paddy. He disclosed that a rice miller was initially offering $3,200 but after negotiation he agreed to offer $3500.
“ I pleaded and I tried and got it to $3,500, the miller undertook that he will work with y’all and increase the price, the world market price dropped… at least we represent you all and we managed to get an increase.”
The minister noted that the Ministry of Agriculture is also giving a concession on the ferry for farmers who want to transport their harvest outside of the region in search of higher prices. He also assured that when the gas-to- shore project comes on line, the country will be able to produce its own fertilizer and so be able to offer it at a lower cost to rice farmers.
Pandemic affects exports
The minister informed that much of the increases in freight costs were due to the pandemic and compounded by the fact that most of Guyana’s rice is exported to Europe, which poses a challenge.
“Because of the pandemic freight, shipping and container cost gone up, that is why we are working millers to develop a DST wharf we will soon sign a memorandum with GuySuCo for them to use the wharf,” Zulfikar said.
In addition, many of the millers complained of shipping constraints due to the ongoing Russia/Ukraine war and the current pandemic. The minister in turn assured the rice sector that the government is working to ensure that resources and infrastructures are available to the industry to make it viable.
At the end of the meeting rice farmers were still however pleading for at least $4,000 per bag of paddy and are hoping the situation will change.
Rice farmers protesting in Black Bush Polder yesterday.
