Seeraj reports…

Rice farmers resume Spring crop harvesting
GENERAL Secretary of the Rice Producers Association (RPA), Mr. Dharamkumar Seeraj said, yesterday, that general improvement in the weather has seen a return to harvesting activities.
“The farmers are working as the weather permits them, some are going for very long hours,” he reported.
Guyana’s rice producing Regions are Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara), Four (Demerara/Mahaica), Five (Mahaica/Berbice) and Six (East Berbice/Corentyne).
Seeraj said that the more affected areas, such as Mahaica Creek and Cane Grove, on East Coast Demeraa, are most welcoming of the weather break.
However, he said the challenge now is the bad condition of the fields, which were under flood waters for several days.
“As a result, the harvesters have to work harder to cull the paddy. It is now more expensive to reap because the machines are using more fuel to do the same work,” Seeraj pointed out.
He said the condition of access dams is still not ideally what they should be but planters are working to better it.
“The RPA has offered its support and farmers who need assistance to have the dams prepared can get fuel and other forms of support to make their harvesting easier,” Seeraj announced.
He said the RPA will make all efforts to ensure the rice sector is successful, as well as protect the interests of the grassroots individuals who keep it alive.
Seeraj disclosed that, across the rice producing regions, the yields have improved and are much higher, as compared to last year when the average was 4.3 tonnes per hectare.
According to him the yield is 5.8 tonnes per hectare in Region Two; 4.4 tonnes per hectare in Region Three; 5.5 tonnes per hectare in Region Four; 4.8 tonnes per hectare in Region Five and 4.6 tonnes per hectare in Region Six.
“We have seen a marked improvement,” Seeraj stated.
The acreage sown in the regions was 35,500 acres in Region Two; 14,000 acres in Region Three; 6,000 acres in Region Four; 70,000 acres in Region Five and 47,000 acres in Region Six.
Consequently, the Spring crop is expected to yield some 4.4 million bags of paddy, he said.

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