This is terrible news for the rice farmers. Maybe it's time to experiment with cash crops and give some of the land a well deserve rest. Lets see how good a government is the coalition, can they go out and negotiate a good deal for the rice farmers and at the same time do the same for sugar.

Good point, kp.

I still believe the Guyana rice industry has suffered from a crisis of overproduction.

The government should advise the RPA and farmers what market is secured for the 2016 spring crop and set a production target accordingly.

The Ministry of Agriculture should advise farmers on what crops to grow on the land freed from rice.

I think Maduro is deliberately undermining CARICOM solidarity to serve Venezuela's geopolitical interests. He is working real hard on the smaller Eastern Caribbean islands particularly who hold the balance of power in CARICOM. His intention is to humiliate Guyana.

This is why Guyana need to get this issue settled.

With the PNC in power, is back to the beggar line for Guyanese farmers.  But who cares, soon oil will come and c00lies can kech their corner.  Who needs them anyway.

This can be done,anyone remembered the vast amount of

watermelons and scallions produced at BBP.

Jagdeo the economic genius had Guyana build a US$200 million junk factory and producing sugar at close to 3 times world price

what "good deal" other than horing can the coalition "negotiate" for sugar without the necessary, painful reforms stink ole racists like u would immediately label "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide" ?

g'wan dahside bigot cockroach . . . u done show yuh leprous haan with yuh provocations and vile lies of the coalition Gov't "abandoning" rice and sugar

https://guyana.crowdstack.io/topic/se...2#457434583544960052

He is doing exactly that.

BEFORE the election Maduro warned about Exxon.  The PPP campaigned on the basis of bounty coming from oil.

So is the PPP telling us that they would have capitulated to Maduro by telling Exxon to leave?

http://www.reuters.com/article...dUSL1N0W72RE20150305

Just to show that the border situation was heating up BEFORE May 11. In 2013 Venezuela evicted an exploration vessel.

So why do these PPP nuts think that they can render Guyana dependent on Venezuela for oil and as the largest rice market?  Its like depending on a bully to feed you!

HAHAHA BLAME THE RICE FARMERS FOR PRODUCING TOO MUCH. HAHAHAHAHA

COMMUNISM IS BACK WITH A FORCE, GOVT WILL TELL FARMERS WHAT TO PLANT, WHEN TO TAKE A SHIT AND WHAT TO SAY!!!!!!!!!!

The PPP took the Surinaam issue to arbitration and won.  The PPP granted Exxon the rights to explore that area.  To think they then would have rolled over is nonsense.  The PPP may have tried a few things differently however, in the end, they would have resisted the Venezuelan claim.

Like WHAT!

They would have either had to capitulate to Maduro, or they would have had to defend Guyana's interests.

Clearly rendering the rice industry dependent on an enemy which has no respect for Guyana's sovereignty, and which is going all out to hamper Guyana's economic development, is a BAD IDEA!

What nonsense.  The PPP was actively seeking new markets so some excess production was necessary to prove the credibility/dependability of Guyana as a supplier.  You cannot go and try to court new customers without proving your ability to fulfill the supply contract.  The fact that the PNC destroyed the business does not mean the PPP model was flawed.

If the PPP had found new markets then there wouldn't be a crisis.  Depending on Venezuela was a mistake because it gave them the opportunity to hold Guyana hostage.  Either Guyana ceases oil exploration, or Venezuela stops buying Guyanese rice.

The PPP encouraged rice farmers to increase production, and then couldn't find markets for them.

Now go and haul your racist ass and cry about what the PPP did!  BEFORE the election rice farmers were bawling, so cease pretending as if all was well before May 11th.

In the interim Maduro is working over time to undermine CARICOM support for Guyana.  Too bad for him that two of the most powerful CARICOM countries, Barbados and T&T, have their own axes to grind with Venezuela, and have unequivocally given Guyana their support.

By not succumbing to Maburo.

Did they not take on Surinaam?

You fool, that Venezuela rice was additional supply and a deal for what it was worth.  They did not sacrifice another market for the Venz market.  Now alyuh in control, so STFU and find replacement markets.  I heard one of your bais saying a big Nigerian supplier is interested, so shut up and go get it.

You really expect DUNCES to get things done???

PPP idiocy. If Venezuela claims 2/3 of your country, periodically invades, and attacks your citizens, and harasses foreign investors seeking to develop Guyana's oil industry, then why is Venezuela so precious.

The PPP should have viewed that country as an interi arrangement and sought to find more reliable buyers.  They did NOT.  They encouraged the farmers to grow more, so that they could boast about rice, their only success.  Then when too much rice was produced, they began to wail.  We went over this BEFORE the elections, so quit your racist babble.

Maduro is a lunatic and would have told the PPP, had they won, that either they tell EXXON to go, or there would be no more rice purchasers.

Yes this is where the PPP's idiocy put Guyana in!

Why did the PPP NOT resolve the border issue if they claim to be so friendly with Venezuela?

Baseman.  The rice industry is PRIVATELY owned. Why don't they do what every other PRIVATELY owned industry does and go find their own markets.  If a Nigerian buyer is interested, why should a civil servant negotiate that deal, and not the rice industry?

THIS is the problem with the rice industry.  It has been abused by politicians and rendered into becoming developing a welfare mentality of dependency and entitlement!

You black people think you have all the answers to Guyana's security problems.  You cannot even handle your own Buxton/Agricola domestic terrorists, yet you think you have all the answers to the international security issue.  What arrogance!

Very lousy comeback. This is why I have to agree with what carib has been saying all along regarding you guys being racist pricks, shows right here.

You clown, what do you know.  It is Govts who open up markets thru trade agreements on a Govt to Govt basis.  Most of Guyana's rice was sold to other Govts for their food supply.  Guyana does not have the type of conglomerates like the big developed nations so any local guy, without such arrangement will need to deal with an international middleman who will take big a slice.  If you don't see a role for Govt, then whats your purpose, just spend and tax and feed the lazy?

The arrogance here is yours you twit. He is right to ask what has the PPP done do ameliorate our border problem. The fools openly endorse Argentina over Britain on the Falklands. The Falklands are by the way, claimed on similar grounds as venezuela for our lands. They further took very opportunity to alienate the US.

The PPP was not not in power during the Falklands war so they were certainly not speaking for Guyana.  Frankly, Odeen Ishmael is the authority on the Venezuela border issue...has the coalition engaged him for advice?

Ahh shutup, go take your shot of piwarie.

Odeen Ishmael is one of the authorities on the Venezuelan territorial dispute.

A resolution to this and he out of wuk rass!

Here is the deal. 23 years later and the PPP did NOTHING to solve the border issue.  WHY?  Did the PPP make any progress?

As usual you will respond with racist rant, but not an answer for the PPPs failures.

Of course you "forgot" to include the fact that PNC folks had to come out of retirement to help them, because the PPP had destroyed the Ministry of FA by having Rohee, the idiot running it.

Well if that is how you think, no wonder the rice industry is in a mess.  It is the role of the PRIVATE sector to develop markets for their products.  Its the role of the gov't to SUPPORT them!

And of course you didn't tell us why the best that the PPP can do is to hand the rice industry over to the same country which tossed out oil exploration vessels, and invaded Guyana, destroying property and assaulting Guyanese AS RECENTLY AS TWO YEARS AGO!

But then if you put things in the hands bureaucrats, you expect dumb things like that to happen. 

Maybe they have and maybe they haven't but if Odeen is this huge expert why is Guyana in the SAME place with regards to this dispute that it was THIRTY YEARS AGO?

Why bother with the Indo KKK gang. These guys see everything through their Hindutva lens. 

Hehehe! I was about to ask him the same question.

You do know that as recently as a few years ago the issue flared upon again.  Guyana, which needs the diplomatic support of the UK< with regards to its dealings with the EU, and also Venezuela RAN THE MOUTHS endorsing Argentina.

WHAT had Argentina to say about the Guyana Venezuela dispute?  Supporting Venezuela no doubt, as they would equate the Falkland and Guyana disputes as both being connected to the UK.

When it came to diplomacy the PPP were dunces, and an indication of that is when the Iranians outsmarted Jagdeo and had him pose with their leaders to indicate Guyana's endorsement of that regime. 

WHAT did Guyana get for doing this? Because of course Guyana needs the US to either support Guyana, or remain neutral,. but instead the PPP was intent in ensuring that the USA viewed us as a hemispheric threat.  The only thing that saved Guyana was that they considered Chavez to be more of a threat.

See, is a real GOOD TING PPP LOST

Still waiting for baseman to tell us how the PPP would have handled the border issue better, and exactly which economic policies of theirs was beneficial.

All he can scream is that "blackman cyant run a cake shop".

I hope that Suriname is not used by Venezuela in a two countries squeeze on Guyana.  

Good point, both countries were closer to the PPP than the present government. Could it be, because they were all just as corrupt.

I believe Venezuela opposition leader might still be in jail.  

They are, but Suriname does have a need for CARICOM, more specifically Trinidad, so they will behave themselves.

Suriname asked to be allowed into CARICOM.  Not the other way around.  Being a small nation, they need to be part of a larger grouping.

hey, if you can succeed, there is hope