Seven suggestions that will make rice farmers smile

Dec 19, 2015 Letters

Dear Editor,
Rice is in crisis. The cost of production is high. The government must urgently assist rice farmers to minimize cost of production. Here are my suggestions;
1) Fertilizers: The government must import fertilizers in a well structured manner to minimize costs and delivery to certain locations for distribution to farmers. Ask exporting countries to remove export duties for 2 years and the producers to lower the cost. The government to pay for all transportation. Have the RPA extension officers to collect advances and quantity required by each farmer. The same should be done for sugar. Ensure the potency is properly monitored. Each farmer to sign that they wave liability against the Government in the event the fertilizers do not have the full potency in the process of handling. This process must start now for the next crop.
2) Drainage and Irrigation: This is the big item. Farmers undergo big loses, poor yield, due to flooding, not adequate water during cultivation, and high cost for pumping water. The Government needs to provide 2 reliable pumps at every location in the country with spare parts for irrigation, and quarterly inspections . All sluices and water regulators must be reinstalled or replaced. There were sluices and water regulators provided by the British to block water to fill the high lands and then the sluices will be reopened to go to the low lands. There was no individual pumping of water, like you see all these long pumps being carried by tractors today. All drainage/irrigation canals must be dredged, due to vegetation, lateral shear of the soil, siltation.
The water users must get all farmers to report on what infrastructure is not working and what new infrastructure is required that was lost from the British time. The Government will send trained technicians, 2 days training to do ACRS (Assets Condition Reporting System). with some survey levels which will show for each asset with pictures, the general condition, category, type and urgency of repairs requires with an estimated cost. This info will help in budgeting, inventory of assets and will help in transparency , design and construction terms of reference. All government assets , including schools etc should have ACRS done , for the inventory of assets, their condition, transparency, O&M budgeting etc.
3) Research: High yield seed paddy must not be susceptible to disease and bugs. The plants must not fall easily. See what they do and use in Thailand . Seed Paddy to be very clean.etc
4) Soil study: soil study to advise farmers on the quantity and type of fertilizers required
5) Training: Training to farmers on efficient cultivation and management of field operations and cost
6) Marketing: We know about world price control, but government should personally try to bargain with certain countries to do a little better in prices. Like the oil for rice, Venezuella deal. Go back to Venezuella politely, no land discussion. Put the ego aside, many persons are saying that the Coalition, did not take power alone from Jagdeo. They took his ego, the horses from his clique and himself, and is riding high so that they are not reachable. They know everything, they have answers for everything. A good listener is a learner and a learner is a winner.
7) Paddy purchasers: They are judge and jury all in one. They weigh and grade the farmers’ paddy. This is wrong. The farmers are at their mercy. The government must train personnel with heavy fines if caught in biased weighing and grading, using the purchasers equipment, witnessed by both the purchasers and sellers. The grading system must be re-examined. The above will make the rice farmer smile.
Joe Persuad
Canada

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