General Secretary of the Guyana Rice Producers Association (GRPA), Mr. Dharamkumar Seeraj has refuted claims of the rice industry being in dire straits..During a recent press conference at the Georgetown Club, Dr. Turhane Doerga, senior official of Alesie Rice, and prominent rice farmer Jinnah Rahman said that the rice industry is facing a deep crisis with no markets for a significant quantity that will be generated in the coming crop.Dharamkumar SeerajRahman also said that the situation may even cause millers to reduce purchases of paddy and definitely affect the price being offered to farmers.They also accused the government of neglecting the plight of rice farmers across the country, especially in Essequibo. But Mr. Seeraj, speaking to Kaieteur News on Monday in Berbice, said that the two individuals have their own agendas.According to Seeraj, neither Doerga nor Rahman are members of the GRPA.Seeraj said that even though the industry is experiencing numerous problems,Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale, it is not in crisis. Guyana has been breaking production records in recent years,Cheap NFL Jerseys Supply, with more than 630,000 tonnes of rice produced in 2014. A record-breaking 500,000 tonnes was exported last year.But according to Doerga, more than 150,000 tonnes was left over from last year. With another 400,000 tonnes of paddy coming in within a fortnight, the situation is dire.“We have been experiencing phenomenal growth and both Mr. Rahman and Doerga are nothing but activists now for the Opposition,” Seeraj said.“It has nothing to do with rice, in fact, the industry can do well without them.”Within the last few weeks, there have been protests in Anna Regina, Region Two; and in Black Bush Polder, Region Six.But Seeraj said that the PPP/C Administration,Cheap NFL Jerseys, through its sober policies,NFL Cheap Jerseys, has improved rice production over the past three years,Cheap Jerseys, and has taken the initiative of finding rice markets for people.“If there is a problem, then we (the Government), as responsible people, must fix the problem—if there’s a marketing problem, then we must fix it.”Seeraj added that the fact that Guyana has almost doubled production?in four years, “is testimony to the role the government is playing in the industry; how we’ve been able to move it from what it was before,China Jerseys Cheap, to a position where the PNC was importing rice, to now under the PPP, where last year we exported more than 500,000 tonnes of rice.”Seeraj added that, rice, like any industry going through tough times, is going to overcome the struggles.