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– farmers owed US$10 million –Minister PersaudGovernment, on Friday, lifted the suspension of the milling and export licences of Mahaicony Rice Limited, but said that the company is continuing to commit economic sabotage to the country and threatening targets.The licences were suspended on June 25 by the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) after farmers claimed that they were issued “bounced” cheques for paddy they supplied to the mills.The company went to court on June 30 claiming that it was not given a fair hearing, and secured a court order to lift the suspension.On Thursday, the proprietors of the mills were forced to serve court documents seeking contempt on Jagnarine Singh, General Manager of GRDB, after the suspension was not lifted despite the court order. That matter comes up for hearing on July 14.On Friday, flanked by Singh; General Secretary of the Guyana Rice Producers Association (RPA),Wholesale NFL Jerseys China, Dharamkumar Seeraj; and Cecil Seepersaud, attorney-at-law, the Minister of Agriculture, Robert Persaud, said that the coming crop, of which an estimated 160,000 acres will be under cultivation, is under threat because over US$10 million is owed to rice farmers by the company. For the last crop alone, it was found that Mahaicony Rice bought 685,595 bags of paddy,Cheap Jerseys Store, valued at US$18.6 million. Of this, more than 31,000 tonnes of rice, valued at US$12.9 million, was shipped out.Yet, half of the farmers are still owed in the vicinity of US$10 million.On Friday, too,Cheap NFL Jerseys, a full page advertisement in the Kaieteur News said that the company was refused permission to ship rice over the last weekend, resulting in vessels having to leave empty.Questioning who will pay, the advertisement said that the GRDB is in contempt of the court order of June 30, and the company was losing millions because of its inability to ship.Banks were only financing up to a few millions, when the industry requires tens of billions. While Mahaicony Rice admitted in the advertisement that it did wrong by issuing dishonoured cheques, the fact is that these cheques were issued in advance of the payment dates.“This latest attack on Mahaicony Rice can only be deemed as personal,Cheap Jerseys, since the power that be has elevated himself above even the Court of Guyana.”The company says that, due to its strong purchasing power, farmers countrywide were able to benefit from increased prices for paddy.“Could Minister Persaud, since he is the one giving the instructions, really let it be known what really are his intentions in relations to Mahaicony Rice Ltd? Is it to close the company down,Cheap Jerseys From China, or is it to pay the farmers on time?”However, according to Minister Persaud, all the Government wants is for the company to pay the farmers.GRDB, according to the minister, had placed advertisements in the newspapers requesting farmers with outstanding payments from Mahaicony Rice Mills to report to the offices of GRDB.“It has not received any responses, and has, therefore, removed the suspension of the milling and export license imposed on June 25, 2008 for a breach of the provisions of the Rice Factories Act of 1998.” The Ministry of Agriculture and the GRDB, however, pointed out that, although no farmer came forward in response to the public advertisements, the company still owes farmers huge sums of money.“There are numerous documents of non-payment, but farmers have been coerced, in the absence of independent legal advice, to sign documents under duress.The Ministry of Agriculture and the GRDB will seek legal solution for such blatant disregard and disrespect of our hard-working farmers.  The company continues to commit economic sabotage to a country that has been kind to expatriate companies.”On June 18 and on June 25, farmers blocked the entrance of the rice milling facility at Black Bush Polder, demanding payment. The Region Six Chairman was called upon to intervene.     “The General Manager of Mahaicony Rice Mills Ltd., Mr. Brandon Barton, visited Black Bush Polder on June 19 last and issued new cheques to the farmers. Some of these cheques were cashed and some were referred.“Again, the Regional Chairman was asked to intervene, and at that stage GRDB acted,” the minister said in a statement to the media at his Regent Street office on Friday.The minister urged the company’s officials to recognize the need to honour all its obligations.According to Seeraj, Mahaicony Rice has a history with payments to farmers, and in this case it was the farmers who had urged for action to be taken against the company.Responding to the claim by Mahaicony Rice that it was responsible for high prices of paddy, the General Secretary refuted this and said the increased price started in Region Three, where the company does not operate.Commenting on claims that some $30 million was owed in VAT refund by the Guyana Revenue Authority, and that this would have helped in paying farmers, Seeraj revealed that investigations by the revenue body could not corroborate this fact.There are also other cases against Mahaicony Rice in which farmers were oppressed. In some cases, farmers were renting land from the company but were forced to sell the rice back to the mills at low prices, “reducing them (farmers) to beggars.”Mahaicony Rice is in the best position to pay, with its four mills and facilities, yet is doing otherwise, the official said. The worrying factor is that, although sowing for the second rice crop has started, only 35 per cent has been done so far. And the majority of the farmers who have not done so are the ones not paid by Mahaicony Rice, Seeraj stressed. Referring to the advertisement which claimed that banks were not lending enough, the General Secretary was convinced that this was the farthest from the truth and banks were only too willing to do business, because of the liquidity.Against this background, the RPA will be seeking to meet the minister to discuss the state of the industry and issues regarding the management of Mahaicony Rice.