State of the Rice Industry

Apr 24, 2025 Letters

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Dear Editor,

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the state of the rice industry and several decisions over the last four (4) years under the stewardship of Mr. Zulfikar Mustapha, who pretends to be a Minister, but the reality reveals he is a Minister in name only.  Mr. Mustpha has done very little intellectually, strategically, and policy-wise to help the agriculture sector in Guyana.  The PPP would have been much better off if it had made Mr. Dharamkumar Seeraj, Mr. Badrie Persaud, or Mr. Indar Deodat the Minister of Agriculture.

If one deeply observes the happenings in the Ministry of Agriculture, under Mr. Mustapha, it is one failure after another and this has cost the PPP and His Excellency the President much political capital with a vital voting population.  What I am seeing is a strong pivot to Team Mohammed by many farmers and sugar workers, and it is reminiscent of the time when the AFC took 33,000 votes from the two main parties several years ago.  I foresee a repeat of that situation, and one of the principal contributors to this state of affairs will be Mr. Mustapha.

Today, on this rice issue, with all due respect, it appears that Mr. Mustapha lacks a certain degree of foresight and strategic conceptualization on the solutions to these matters. All we got was another empty press release from the Ministry with no concrete ideas to mitigate the challenges.  The people want to harvest their rice, they want to sell it to the mill, and they want their money; end of story?  How difficult is that for anyone to understand?

While I understand that leadership requires making difficult choices, the bottom line remains, over the last 4 years the weather pattern has become extremely unpredictable and thus the harvesting period was always under threat of being ambushed by unfavourable weather, and less than favourable drying conditions, but how many mechanical batch dryers have the Ministry invested in for the farmers?  This is the answer. Why not a cooperative system with communal harvesting machines owned by the Government for each region to help the smaller farmers get their rice out on time? So the small farmers are still stuck with the system of depending on the bigger farmers to cut their rice, and the ancient technology of using pavement drying which is exposed to any adverse weather conditions.  This system has been in place for over 100 years, and nothing is being done to improve it.

Plus, GRDB has failed this nation in its marketing of our rice. In his 2024 Budget speech the Hon. Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh made this comment: “Among our main exported commodities, sugar and rice prices rose 26.6 percent and 26.8 percent, averaging US$0.52 per kilogramme and US$553.7 per metric tonne, respectively, largely reflecting the effects of the ongoing El Niño phenomenon in top producing countries, and trade restrictions by a top exporter.”  So we knew since early 2024 that the rice prices went up, and that was the trigger for a larger output from a rice sector made up of many private farmers. After all, who does not want to make money by planting more rice to make more money? What did the Ministry do to keep up with them or to guide them along?  Where are the new markets for this rice, or the new wet-weather drying facilities to support the farmers and the millers?

Under Mr. Mustapha, the Ministry did very little to guide the farmers to better protect themselves, and thus we can safely say, the Minister abandoned his duties to the farmers. His gross incompetence seemed to have created unintended negative outcomes and hindered our progress as a nation.  This is a lose-lose situation.  The farmer loses, the PPP loses, the economy loses – no one wins.

Similarly, the approach taken with the sugar industry under Mr. Mustapha has seen some GYD$ 13 billion transferred to the industry, and as of April 2025, I am advised that the “pot of cash” has been depleted.  The rains are here, and the sugar crop remains open?  I am advised that Mr. Mustapha instructed the Corporation to keep the crop open and pay the workers for coming to work, do nothing, and return the next day. How more silly can Mr. Mustapha be?

In such a situation, under Mr. Paul Cheong, who is also a politician, the sugar industry is set to lose close to GUY$18 billion in 2025. Look out for the Supplemental Paper from the Minister of Finance when he approaches the National Parliament for another GUY$7 to GUY$8 billion more for GuySuco very soon.

Editor, my intention here is not to criticize for the sake of criticism, but rather to offer a perspective based on my observation and how, because of Mr. Mustapha, this country is set to lose over GUY$30 billion in 2025 as a result of his poor management of the portfolio. I believe that a more thorough analysis of potential ramifications and a greater consideration of diverse viewpoints could lead to more effective and sustainable solutions.  But this can never happen once Mr. Mustapha is at Regent Street.

Moving forward, I would respectfully suggest a more collaborative approach with the farmers in decision-making. The technical leadership in the Ministry of Agriculture is lacking, not because they are not there, but because of the micro-managing of the system by Mr. Mustpha and his sidekick, Mr. Madanlal Ramraj.  Today, all these technicians are doing is providing answers to the questions asked rather than proactively planning for any consequences in the agriculture sector.

But it is too late now, the elections are here, and the farmers have no choice but to eat their losses.  Clearly, the Ministry needs new leadership; the damage created by Mr. Mustapha will take years to clean up.

Sincerely,

Mrs Emily Lorrimer

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