Dear Editor,
Reference is made to the proposed transfer of three Billion dollars (https://kaieteurnewsonline.com/2026/06/19/over-2800-rice-farmers-in-regions-5-6-to-benefit-from-3b-assistance-programme/) to 1,387 rice farmers located in Region 5, and 1,484 rice farmers located in Region 6. There are several issues that Guyanese should consider in this proposed disbursement of money to a selected group of rice farmers. Among the issues are the following:
- Since only rice farmers in Regions 5 and 6 are eligible recipients, the question is: Why are the rice farmers in Regions 2, 3, and 4 excluded? Justification for this must be provided.
- Since the transfers to rice farmers in Regions 5 and 6 are not loans, but are direct cash grant disbursements to farmers, using tax-payers money, the question is: Why are other farmers (sugar-cane, fruits, greens, root crops, coconut, poultry/livestock, fisheries, others) excluded? What is the rationale?
- What will this agriculture cash grant be used for? Is it to buy production inputs, capital investments, pay for agriculture services? How will this cash transfer be monitored or is it a cash grant, where no monitoring is required? The Ministry of Agriculture must explain this transfer.
From a policy perspective, it is generally expected that the Ministry of Agriculture will focus on providing public goods and services to the Agricultural Sector; and it should not be engaged in exclusionary payments to some farmers. An example of the public good and services that the Ministry of Agriculture should be engaged in are research, extension, D & I services, among other farm improvement activities (Table 1). Completing Table 1 would be a useful approach for the Rice Sector; and completing similar tables for the other agriculture crops would be beneficial for the agriculture sector and the economy, for food security begins here.
In closing, it is important to mention that the Government of Guyana (GoG) is transferring a National Cash Grant of $100,000 to every eligible Guyanese citizen. In contrast, the rice farmer cash grant programme in Regions 5 and 6 will disburse to 2,871 famers an average of $1.04 Million to each selected farmer ($3.0 Billion divided by 2,871 farmers). This transfer to rice farmers in Regions 5 and 6 is more than 10 times the amount that the average Guyanese will receive under the National Cash Grant Programme. Therefore, the final question I would like to pose is as follows:
What is the trump-card rice farmers in Regions 5 and 6 possess which they can use as a bargaining chip and political leverage over the PPP/C Government?
Please click on the link below for an answer prepared by AI,: https://www.google.com/search?q=What+is+the+trump+card+rice+farmers+in+Regions+5+and+6+have+over+the+Government+%3F&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS1113US1113&oq=What+is+the+trump+card+rice+farmers+in+Regions+5+and+6+have++over+the+Government+%3F&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRiPAtIBBzY0N2owajeoAgiwAgHxBe8jUVEdPOCo&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
The answer is very interesting!
Sincerely,
Dr. C. Kenrick Hunte
Professor and Former Ambassador
Discussion