Dear Editor,
I read an article in your newspaper about disgruntled Essequibo rice farmers lobbying for higher prices for their paddy. Editor, I recall numerous articles about this same issue. It is an age-old crisis and it is funny how politics ties into private issues.
By now, most rice farmers would know that the trade of paddy is bartering with the miller, and that bartering, for the most part, is private. The government, would, however, intervene whenever there is a rice crisis because they fully well know that they would not want to trade off their political support base, so they do their bit. Back when I reported on the Essequibo Coast, rice farmers used to take to the Anna Regina high bridge every Friday, with placards, to voice their frustrations. On occasions, representatives from outside the Coast would come and assure them. On some occasions, they were given relief for pests, but the problem of payment and the cost for paddy remains a relevant issue today. I stopped reporting almost six years now and it is sad how I still read about this issue that continues to plague rice farmers.
It is sad because rice farming is one of the main economic activity on the Coast. Editor, nothing has changed for those farmers and indeed, it is costly to produce rice. Most rice farmers would have, over the years, resorted to renting out their farm lands to the major rice farmers because they don’t have the machines and finance to maintain and work their fields. I am not sure how much input the government of the day has with rice farming, however, I can recall when the late President, Desmond Hoyte, launched a campaign on Essequibo Coast, I think it was in Queenstown Village, he made a bargain to farmers. I was not a reporter back then but I remember attending that meeting and he told farmers he would give them around $5000 dollars for a bag of paddy. If any farmer is honest enough, and could recall what Hoyte promised and delivered, they would also attest to getting rich, in the lay man term, during that period.
Editor, farmers will continue to struggle with these sorts of issues because the problem is not addressed fully by the miller. Again it is a private issue but if the government is going to reach out to assist the rice farmers every time there is an issue because of their political affiliation then the farmers would always believe that when they cry loud the government will come to their beck and call without addressing the real issues. We need to educate our people.
Sincerely,
Yannason Duncan
