APNU+AFC will destroy rice again – Dr. Leslie Ramsammy – their manifesto presents recipe for disaster
Former Minister of Agriculture Dr Leslie Ramsammy
Former Minister of Agriculture Dr Leslie Ramsammy

APNU+AFC has presented a plan for rice. It is another recipe for disaster. Unlike sugar where it presents no plan in its manifesto, it has actually presented some specific proposals for rice. But these proposals present a recipe that will paralyse the rice industry once again, just like they did in the 1970s and 1980s.The APNU+AFC manifesto proposes to farm out rice research to CARDI. It completely ignores the Rice Research Center at Burma. The Rice Research Centre at Burma has evolved under the PPP/C as an international standard rice research centre, led by Guyanese scientists. Among the work that has gained traction at the Centre are the following:
• Development of new varieties of paddy: Since 1995, the Rice Research Centre has developed 14 new varieties. This means that the Centre has produced a new variety every 18 months. This is a record that is unmatched in most countries of the world.
Prior to 1995, the Rice Research Centre produced a new variety every 10 years. The continuous introduction of a new variety of seed paddy is a necessity for increasing yield and preventing pests and diseases and also for responding to climate change. One major reason for introducing new varieties is increasing yields. Guyana has moved from a yield of about two tons of paddy per ha to almost six tons of paddy per ha. The GRDB 13 is the first aromatic variety of rice produced in the Caribbean. The new GRDB 14 is already showing promise of increasing yield to over seven tons per ha.

In spite of this success story, APNU+AFC has proposed farming out development of new varieties to CARDI which has not produced a single new variety of seed paddy in the last twenty years. This threatens the development of new varieties of seed paddy for Guyana. Guyana’s rice industry cannot afford such a visionless and irresponsible move by any Government. We reject the effort to stop the successful work of the Rice Research Center at Burma and replace it with CARDI which has no history of success in rice research.

The PPP/C Government on the other hand has committed to increasing investment in the Rice Research Centre at Burma and to continue to build the research capacity of the Burma Rice Research Centre. We have and will continue to collaborate with the FLAR and IRRI in the development of new and better varieties of rice paddy.

• Fighting paddy bugs: One of the pests that have traditionally affected the rice industry in Guyana and around the world is paddy bug. Paddy bug could cost major losses for rice farmers. While we have generally restricted major losses due to paddy bugs, we estimate that most farms lose between 2 to 4 bags per acre. The Rice Research Centre has been pursuing the use of various pesticides that could be safely used to manage paddy bugs. Scientists at the Centre are also studying natural predators of paddy bugs as another means of controlling the population of the bugs. They are also studying various environmental management practices in the control of the paddy bug population.
WORTH OF BURMA RICE RESEARCH CENTRE
This is not the time for reduced investment in research. Should any Government reduce investment in the research centre, farmers will be severely affected. This is exactly what APNU+AFC will cause by not recognising the worth of the Burma Rice Research Centre.

The PPP/C will continue to invest in the Burma Research Centre in order to ensure paddy bug does not cause major losses to farmers.

• Use of bio-fertilizer: The Rice Research Centre has been studying the use of bio-fertilizers. In this regards, it works closely with researchers from GuySuCo. It is also working with CARDI in the use of deep-insertion of nitrogen fertilizers which will reduce the amount of fertilizers used and be more effective.
These and other research studies at the Burma Rice Research Centre demonstrate the positive impact that investment in the Burma Centre has had. The PPP/C will continue our strong investment in the Burma Centre.
NO GENUINE PLAN
APNU+AFC has no genuine plan for the rice industry. Their idea of developing research by farming it away to CARDI is a recipe for total collapse of the rice industry.
In addition, they have tried to propose an alternative to the PPP/C’s programme of value-added products. Whereas, the PPP/C’s programme include the use of rice husk for the production of safe, clean energy and for the production of value-added products such as rice cereal, APNU+AFC has proposed the development of a variety of rice for animal feed. This will mean spending enormous amounts of money to develop a low-price rice variety. This is another recipe for disaster.
Their claim that they will develop new markets must be considered within a periscope of the PPP/C’s marketing plan that has resulted in new markets and Guyana now exporting to 33 countries. During the 1970s and 1980s, Guyana exported rice to only about five countries.
The manifesto of APNU+AFC is a reminder that the PNC, the parent party of APNU+AFC, destroyed and crippled the rice industry during the 1980s. Guyana cannot afford to allow another crippling of the rice industry.
The PPP/C is the only party with a genuine plan to sustain and expand the development of the rice industry in Guyana.

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