RICE CROP 18 PER CENT HARVESTED –Guyana waiting confirmation of rice market in Africa

AGRICULTURE Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy has said that increased rice production is being matched by increased export opportunities, and that Guyana is awaiting confirmation of contracts from its newest market, Africa.Guyana has targeted the export of 514,000 tonnes of rice in 2015.

“We met with them (representatives of the African market). We sent them draft contracts and those have been submitted to their banks. We are waiting on confirmation of contracts for one country, which would see the export of 18,000 tonnes of rice every two months, a total of 108,000 tonnes annually,” Dr Ramsammy told the Guyana Chronicle in an interview yesterday.
He added that, besides this new market, Guyana has, via signed contracts, committed to exporting 168,000 tonnes to other markets, including its traditional markets.

Guyana currently has export agreements with several countries in the Caribbean. Given the continuous success of the rice industry, efforts are being made to secure a greater foothold in the market in Nicaragua and other Central American countries, including Belize and Panama.

Guyana is presently concluding 2015 contracts with Panama. The two countries recently concluded arrangements to fast track payments. The financial accountability process of Panama required that Guyana made changes in the way it invoiced sales. This issue was reconciled after negotiations were concluded to facilitate faster payments. Dr Ramsammy assured that the Panamanians have committed to making purchases from Guyana, although contracts in this regard are still to be signed.

“The Venezuelan market is another avenue for Guyana’s rice,” he said. Exports to this neighbouring country would involve 120,000 tonnes of paddy and 74,000 tonnes of rice. Guyana has also agreed to procure 14,000 tons of fertilizer from Venezuela for 2015.

HARVEST PROGRESSING
Agriculture Minister Dr Ramsammy also disclosed that harvesting is progressing well, and that some 18 per cent of the land under rice cultivation has been harvested.
“Essequibo, Region Two (Pomeroon/ Supenaam) is ahead of the rest of the country, with 40 per cent of acreage under cultivation harvested,” he said.

Dr Ramsammy also noted that the yield to date, standing at some 5.8 tonnes per hectare, is encouraging.

“The final yield last year was 5.4 tonnes per hectare, one of the highest in our history. If our current yields are maintained, the yield in the first crop of 2015 will be significantly higher,” he said.

Altogether, some 238,698 acres are currently under cultivation across Guyana: 37,710 acres in Region Two; 22,047 acres in Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara); 8,757 acres in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica); 107,224 acres in Region Five; some 62,159 acres in Region Six; and 800 acres in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo).

“The acreage currently under cultivation represents the highest cultivation every year. This is an interesting point, because the political opposition is claiming that the industry is in crisis. We are yet to see the crisis, because our farmers are planting more and the results are good,” Dr Ramsammy said.

PADDY BUG
A paddy bug advisory has been issued by the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), and the Agriculture Minister assured that this is a routine undertaking. He explained that the advisory issued is part of the MoA’s ongoing efforts to ensure that farmers are prepared in the event of an increase in the paddy bug population.

“I am confident we will have a good first crop,” Dr Ramsammy said. Rice production has been targeted at 618,000 tonnes.

Last year was another record-breaking year for the rice industry, with production recorded at 635,238 tonnes, of which 501,208 tonnes were exported.

Production in the final crop of 2014 surpassed that of the first crop, which recorded just over 300,000 tonnes.

The rice and sugar sectors remain important to Guyana’s economy, considering their contributions in relation to employment and to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

By Vanessa Narine

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.