Cooperation not competition: How our farmers are getting it all wrong

Aug 11, 2019 The Story within the Story

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By Leonard Gildarie

There are some simple lessons to be learnt from countries which have defied expectation in terms of development. Their people are living a quality of life that we can only dream of.

I have been to a few developed countries and there is one thing that is consistent…it is the entrepreneurs who have led the charge for the development.
The Indians and Chinese work around the clock to make it happen. Small wonder why they have gained success in so short a time.
This past week, I needed a break and decided to accept a short trip to Boa Vista, Brazil.
To say that our neighbouring country is unbelievable would be an understatement.
Forget its beauty or the people. That country is over eight and a half million square kilometres with more than 200 million persons. It is said to be the fifth largest country in the world and is mad about its football and beef.
To get to Boa Vista, you either fly, or from Lethem, drive over the Takutu Bridge – that connects the two countries – and take the highway.
Even in the outskirts, Brazil takes pride in its infrastructure. The roads are well-thought out, with utilities strategically placed out of the way. Bonfim, the nearest community to Lethem, is as clean as a whistle.
It takes over an hour from Lethem to Boa Vista by car. There are cameras at every traffic light and bicycle path. It is unthinkable to run a red light.
At every corner, there are disposable bags – they are even attached to trees – for garbage.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was the high level of service.
Brazil understands tourism. It understands service. Workers are unobtrusive, yet would appear out of nowhere, ever watchful to serve.
I met one of the state’s biggest businessmen. He also owns a hotel and is involved in farming in a big way. He has been spreading his wings to Guyana. There is much to learn. What he had to say makes lots of sense.
Brazil has invested big time in its farmers. It built roads, opening up lands so that produce can be moved.
Along the roadway from Bonfim, there are fields of corn and soya bean as far as the eye can see.
Cows dot the horizon. Mechanisation and precise agriculture have improved yields.
The advantage for Brazil is that it imports very little. From its pepper sauce to cars to building material and clothing, Brazil has risen to become one of the most powerful countries in the world. It has some of the best tiles in the world, and has been supplying Guyana with the silos for the rice factories.
Never mind it continues to wrestle corruption, with a former leader, Lula da Silva, now in jail. It has oil too, lots of it.
However, it is its self-sufficiency in feeding its people that has been standing out.
For 200 million citizens, the problem will always be the food bill.
Brazil has been making it possible with incentives and access to farms.
According to the businessman, he has done experiments with corn and soya bean.
It is no surprise what the findings are…the soil in Guyana is far superior for corn and soya. However, what the businessman had to say had me taking notice.
Farmers in his country are not too enthusiastic about competing with each other.
There is a simple reason…costs. Rather, farmers sit and talk about sharing costs.
There are lands and equipment needed. There is also a need for vehicles or boats to move the produce.
Brazilian farmers more and more have been collaborating and not looking to compete.
The savings have been enormous.
In Guyana, the small cash crop farmers, especially, have been eking out a living. The smart ones are making it, and they have learnt the art of bringing costs down.
For others, the hits-and-misses from the weather, with flooding and drought, have been headaches.
Many families have been investing in their own tractors and pumps and fuel, all major costs.
When it is time to harvest, a middleman comes and more often than not, the best prices are not to be had. Yet, instead of using our neighbour’s tractor and supplying the fuel, we prefer to take a loan or repay one using hire purchase.
Small wonder why many farmers have been struggling.
There have been attempts in the past to revive and start coop societies. The problems were many. A few members grabbed control, with the others helpless.
Many farmers also migrated leaving their lands in the hands of other large-scale farmers or someone who wanted a little hustle.
Brazil wants Guyana for many reasons. In the areas closest to Guyana, it has no ports. There are major costs to move produce to hundreds of miles away to ports.
There have been many attempts to pave the Linden/Lethem road using expertise from Brazil.
Brazil wants to access our waterways to ship their produce. It will cut days off their shipping time and thus reduce costs.
Brazil also wants to plant corn and maybe cane in Guyana for poultry and ethanol purposes. They see what Guyana is importing in terms of oil and inputs for poultry feed.
We have expertise right here. Partnerships can be built. We have to learn to reduce our costs and strike alliances that multiply what we are doing.
Brazil wants lands and roads. We can benefit. We will have to control the narrative.
We will dictate our pace. Food production will remain our backbone, even when oil comes.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)

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