PARAMARIBO – The latest reports regarding the registration of farmers who need state subsidy, indicate that the farmers who claimed that the numbers were exaggerated were right all along. Ten representatives of the farmers who recently screened the official list along with workers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Stockbreeding and Fisheries (LVV), came across irregularities which is why the number of hectares that was registered, was shrunk from 30,000 to about 20,000.

This means that the farmers who claimed that only 17,700 hectares of land had been cultivated, were right all along. The Ministry of Agriculture claimed that 30,000 hectares of land had been planted with rice. Sources told Times of Suriname that the names of people who have not planted any rice on their fields were also put on the list. “Many names that do not belong on the list were put on the list,” said a source.

The farmers suspect that the names of these ghost farmers were deliberately put on the list. “Where did the ministry get the information from?” The farmers who had staged a protest and who had set up camp at the Brasa Square since July 29th ended their strike last Thursday at the request of President Chandrikapersad Santokhi who promised to add SRD 10 million to the SRD 60 million that was put aside for them as compensation…[+]