Citing current weather…
THE extended dry weather is a major bugbear for farmers this Spring crop, Rice Producers Association (RPA) General Secretary, Mr. Dharamkumar Seeraj said Thursday.

He said, in January of any given year, about 80 to 90 per cent of the cultivation is sown but, as of December last year, only about 50 per cent of the target acreage was planted, mainly because of the El Niño conditions.

“The weather is the biggest challenge for us right now and is posing tremendous problems for us to irrigate the crops that we have in the ground, much less to sow more,” Seeraj told the Guyana Chronicle.

The Hydrometeorological Department has forecast that the current situation is expected to prevail through March, although, recently, over the past few days, there has been some rainfall.

Seeraj said he is hoping this trend continues, if not on the coast, in the interior where it will be better.

“The catchment area for the conservancy and the rivers are in the interior, so they will drain without affecting conditions our dams,” he said.

Seeraj pointed out that the dry weather will definitely affect production as farmers in Wakenaam, Hogg Island and Leguan, who did not sow in December, have been advised not to do so this month.

He explained that it would be very difficult for them to sustain the crop, given their vulnerability, depending on the Essequibo River for irrigation.

“If there is no rainfall in the interior, the Essequibo River, where it is fresh, will move, gradually, upstream and isolate Wakenaam, Hogg Island and Leguan,” Seeraj said.

According to him, other areas which are hard pressed, in Regions Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Five (Mahaica/Berbice) and Six (East Berbice/ Corentyne), have lost 40 acres of cultivation.

Those include 23 acres in Region Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands) alone and another seven along Mahaica Creek.

Seeraj said, too, that the cultivation in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) has been affected and, as soon as the rain returns, planting there will recommence.

He said the thrust of that initiative is to make Region Nine sustainable in rice production and secure possible markets in Brazil and other Latin American countries.
Seeraj said, generally speaking, in the present dry season, production, this year, is not likely to surpass the 2009 level.