Rice farmers in Region Two on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest on the Anna Regina high bridge to demand higher prices for their paddy.
Millers in Region Two are currently offering prices around $3,500, a decrease of about $500 from what the farmers were paid during previous crops.
Rice farmers, who say they cannot offset their expenses at the rates currently being offered, are calling for $5,000 per bag.
Close to two dozen farmers participated in the protest, which comes on the heels of a similar demonstration in Berbice last week that resulted in the intervention of Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha.
Among the sentiments written on their placards were: “Minis-ters living like Prince and Princess while Guyanese are like stray dogs,” “PPP Punish Poor People Rice Farmer your support what a shame,” and “Government is in bed with business people, shame!”
Basant Mohan, a rice farmer from Reliance Village, on the Essequibo Coast, said the protest was organised so that people can understand what is taking place in the rice industry. He explained that at the currents there was no profit to be had by rice farmers.
Mohan also noted that farmers have families to maintain and loans to pay. He also said that they had presented a breakdown of the cost of production to Mustapha during his recent visit and to date have not received any response. That breakdown clearly shows that at the current prices offered farmers will be operating at a loss.
“Everything raise now. We have to pay more for harvesting. We have to pay for ploughing. We have to pay to combine. Everything increases by $200 and then paddy price is less! What will happen to our families? Every crop this is the same. What is the government doing for us?’’ a rice farmer questioned.
The farmers believe that the government, through the Minis-try of Agriculture, can intervene to get millers to pay them higher prices for their harvest.
They called for President Irfaan Ali and Mustapha to return to the region and address their concerns. They promised to protest until they receive better prices.
During the protest Minister of Local Government and Regional Development Nigel Dharamlall, who has parliamentary responsibilities for Region Two, visited the farmers. During the engagement, they told him of their struggles. He told them that the government is doing everything possible to save the industry. He also said that the government has invested heavily to reduce costs in the rice industry.
Dharamlall was accompanied by Region Two Chairperson Vilma De Silva and Regional Vice Chairman Humace Oodit.
Following the protests in Region Six, Mustapha on Saturday told rice farmers in Black Bush Polder that the paddy price will remain at $65,000 per tonne based on an assurance given to him by millers after the government reduced the commission they pay to the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) by US$2 from and slashed a scanning fee by 50%.
