Georgetown:The current plight of rice farmers on the Essequibo Coast, Corentyne and all over the country reflects a failure of leadership on the part of the PPP/C Government, according to the Alliance For Change (AFC.)
According to the party, undue reliance on one volatile market, the Venezuelan market, and neglect of our core Caribbean markets have led to the present state of affairs.
It was further noted by the AFC, that for far too long rice farmers and millers have complained about the unreasonably high cost of fuel and fertilizers, inadequate drainage and irrigation, shortage of high quality seedlings, and unenforced regulations which cause massive amounts of defective pesticides and weedicides to be imported into the country, each and all of which impact the cost of production. These demands are greeted by deaf ears by a Government bent on over-taxing fuel and other inputs and taking a piecemeal and short-term solution to long-term problems.
“Government need to reduce the taxes it takes on fuel, implement regional aerial pest control measures, and provide incentives for investment in value added, along with conceptualising new export marketing strategies.Rice farmers and the Rice Industry must be treated with more respect.” The AFC noted.
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