GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC- The Guyana government says it will provide three billion dollars (One Guyana dollar) to support rice farmers impacted by higher fertilizer and fuel costs linked to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving Israel, the United States, and Iran.
President Irfaan Ali, speaking during a meeting with rice farmers, said the funds will be tailored to farmers’ direct input and ensure the support reflects their real and varied needs.
Rice harvesting (File Photo)
“We want to set aside three billion dollars to help you once more, but we want you to help us finalize what format it should be in,” Ali told the stakeholders, adding that the options include direct cash support, fertilizer assistance, subsidies, and acreage-based payment.
He told the meeting that the government’s approach remains consultative and data-driven, and that farmers later voted in favor of direct cash transfers.
As a result, the funds will be distributed as follows: GUY$15,000 per acre for farmers with less than 50 acres of rice fields, and GUY$10,000 per acre for farmers with more than 50 acres of rice fields.
Ali said the Ministry of Agriculture would immediately begin collecting data in communities as part of a verification process.
“We want the people in the regions to be involved in the verification so that we can move towards pulling this out,” he said, reiterating that farmers themselves will shape the three billion dollars distribution.
“Our job is to work with you, alongside you,” he added.
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