Latest update March 20th, 2025 5:10 AM
Latest News
- Guyana’s oil growth boosting regional economies– CDB Director of Economics
- Suspected outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in Region Four
- Israel launches first ground offensive since Gaza ceasefire collapse
- Sod turned for $665M expansion of St. Stanislaus College
- Pensioner jailed for raping child
Rejected Panama rice shipment…Miller to file criminal complaint against GRDB; demands CoI
A miller is preparing to file a police complaint over a large consignment of rice that has been rejected by authorities in Panama.
Yesterday, Dr. Turhane Doerga said that “enough is enough”.
“For too long, we have been seeing things swept blatantly under the carpet. Not anymore. This is a clear cut case that speaks of collusion. The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) cannot investigate itself,” the miller said.
He would be referring the recent rejection, by Panama, of more than 30 containers of rice.
That is around 80,000 bags of white rice, the official said.
The rice is for distribution to Panama’s poor with prices among the best for Guyana.
However, more than a month ago, Panamanian port authorities taking samples of rice from the containers, found it did not meet the requirements of the contract between Guyana and that country. The contract stipulated white rice.
The rice was supposedly sent by A. Cayume Hakh and Sons, a miller that has operations across the country.
However, on the bags sent in the containers to Panama, the labels were reportedly from Techno Mills, an entirely different operation that is based in Eccles, East Bank Demerara. Techno Mills has reportedly denied that labels belonged to them.
Doerga, the retired Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Alesie Rice, stressed that from reports false labels were attached to the bags of rice that were in 30-plus containers confirmed so far.
“This constitutes fraud to the highest extent, with strong indications of collusion at the GRDB level, and there can be no other recourse than a police investigation, involving the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU).”
According to the miller, the Panamanian “scandal” is symptomatic of the weaknesses and problems that exist at the Rice Board and by extension the entire industry.
“We can recall all too clearly of the debacle with the Venezuela rice deal where GRDB oversaw the shipments but bad rice ended up there. We had to pay millions in demurrage fees because it was refused and nobody talked about it. There are six court cases ongoing now. One would have expected that with a political change in 2015, there would have been sweeping changes also at GRDB. We seem to have inherited the same ground staff and same people. The same weak controls are present.”
According to Doerga, President David Granger has to order a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) now to address the issues of the industry.
“We are talking here about an inquiry to determine the health of the industry, the operations of the GRDB, the Venezuela deal and now the Panama debacle. We have to hear from farmers, millers and others. This is what is needed, not an artificial cover-up. We cannot accept anything less from GRDB.”
Doerga explained that either GRDB is unaware of how the exports work or there is blatant lying from officials.
“We have Customs officers and GRDB officers present when containers are packed. They take samples from almost every bag of rice. There are checks into everything from labeling to quality. So if you are to ship white rice and you are seeing parboiled rice, you have to know that it is parboiled rice.
“I can understand one or 10 bags of rice being mistake as parboiled rice. You cannot use the same argument for 80,000 bags of rice in 30 containers. That is not a mistake. That spells collusion, and hence, we are asking the police to investigate.”
Doerga said that the complaint could be filed this week.
“It is time that the rice farmers don’t be left in the doldrums anymore. Based on the price of Panama, our rice farmers should have received $4,500 per bag. We hearing millers paying $2,400. We are hearing that it is not 33 containers. It may be more than 50.”
The Panama deal is a critical one to Guyana helping to stabilize the market.
On Monday, the Guyana Rice Exporters and Millers Association (GREMA) convened an emergency meeting to discuss the Panama shipments.
Hakh has been stopped from shipping any more rice under the Panama agreement.
The bad rice is expected to be shipped back here for it to be audited.
Guyana has to replace the rice that was rejected.
It is unclear who will pick up the charges.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
No immigrant should feel safe in America today
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- There was a time when an illegal immigrant in America could live in the shadows with some... more
If Guyana’s President Ali is the “Zelensky of the Caribbean”, who is the Putin?
Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and the OAS, Ronald Sanders By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- In the latest... more
Weekend Cartoon
