Latest update February 24th, 2025 9:02 AM
Protest hits MMA/ADA open day activities
As Guyana continues its search for rice markets, farmers from the West Coast Berbice (WCB) staged a protest outside the Mahaica Maichony Abary/ Agriculture Development Authority (MMA/ADA) head office in Onverwagt, WCB, on Wednesday.
The protest took place during the MMA/ADA annual open day and exhibition.
The protestors
During the event, Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, announced that there were several projects to come on stream to improve drainage and irrigation in the Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary areas.
F. Basdeo, Chairman of the Rice Producers Association (RPA) of the fourth rice growing district in Guyana led the protest group of about a dozen farmers.
“We are here to picket because we have not made money in rice and in the election campaign we were promised $9000 per bag,” he said.
“The past government cheated us and the price we are getting now is ranging from $1900 to $2000 a bag. It can’t pay us.”
“The cost of production is $90, 000 per acre. And we can only receive $60,000 in return,” the farmer continued. “We owe the bank and all the loans calculated from last crop are $3,000 per bag. So when we (are) getting $1900 and $2000 we can’t repay our debt.”
“This Government gave the miners duty free concessions on fuel and other things. And they gave GUYSUCO by the billions. And (they gave) nothing for the rice farmers. We are going down the drain. It is very serious.”
“We want to know how we will send our children to school. How are we going to buy food for them? We can’t pay our debt. Already some of our rice farmers start to commit suicide. And it is very serious,” he said, alluding to one suicide committed in Black Bush Polder and another in Essequibo.
“So our future is dull; we can’t go back into the field. Because when the millers take out for their fertilizer alone that we took from them and the bank take out their money, we can’t return to the land.”
He related that money to buy fuel and fertilizers would be borrowed from the millers, perpetuating a cycle whereby the Government would disburse money to millers for paying farmers, but significant delays would leave farmers on the edge of bankruptcy.
The late payments are in contravention of the Rice Factory Act. The Rice Factory Act mandates that payments be made in full to rice farmers by millers within 42 days of receipt of paddy.
Also he related that money would be taken from the commercial banks for machinery, service debts, and mortgages and to pay laborers.
“We cannot honor those debt obligations, because of the current paddy price we are receiving.”
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