Georgetown, Guyana – (October 02, 2015) President David Granger informed that his Administration is working assiduously to find markets for Guyana’s rice. He made this disclosure during his first press conference, today at the Ministry of the Presidency.
The President said that during his recent participation at the 70th United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York, he was engaged in several bilateral meetings including with the President of Senegal, Macky Sall, during which he sought markets for local agricultural produce especially rice.
“I have said that the main focus of Guyana’s Foreign Affairs is economic diplomacy… we are searching for markets to help the private millers and farmers. We want the rice industry to survive and prosper,” President Granger said.
Responding to a question in relation to recent protest action by farmers, the President said that there are political elements instigating protests to create the illusion that the Government is at fault. He reminded that the transaction between farmers and millers is a private one.
“There are problems within the rice industry, which are not to be blamed on the Government. It’s a private enterprise largely… take a look at the internal dynamics of the industry and you will discover that it is a miller-farmer problem not a government-rice problem,” President Granger said.
In July, the Government hosted the first ever National Rice Conference under the theme, “Sustainable development amidst challenges”. The forum was aimed at addressing issues such as: delayed payments to farmers for paddy, inadequate storage for paddy, the challenge of producing value-added products and the cost of production.
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