– Minister Persaud at commissioning of another drying floor
The fifth of 12 drying floors was commissioned Sunday by Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud, at Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice,  part of the $400M El Nino intervention by President Bharrat Jagdeo, to safeguard the livelihood of rice farmers. This follows a similar commissioning at Crabwood Creek Saturday.
Minister Persaud told the farmers gathered for the occasion that despite the El Nino weather conditions being experienced, rice production for the first crop is higher than the first crop of last year, and noted that farmers’ should be congratulated for their effort.
Rice production has increased from 160,000 tonnes to a projection of 172,000 tonnes for the first crop, and according to Minister Persaud, it is as a result of Government’s initiatives, and more importantly, farmers’ resilience to handle adversity in difficult times.

He noted that the drying facility is part of Government’s on-going assistance to the rice industry.
“We are constructing this as part of 12 in the initial phase and it is our expectation that we will be able to construct some additional drying floors because you know, as farmers, how important drying floors are in the context of having better prices for your paddy and not being able to rush to the mill and then taking whatever price the miller gives,” Minister Persaud said.
In 1992, the total land acreage under cultivation within the Mahaica, Mahaicony and Abary (MMA) areas was approximately 50 percent, compared to 90 percent at present; and according to the Agriculture Minister, such a facility as the drying floor would be beneficial to farmers and the industry as a whole.
“This region is very important within our renewed agriculture thrust in terms of modernization, and whatever investment and work made here will certainly allow farmers and the sector to grow.”
There are currently 38,000 acres of rice under cultivation in the Abary/ Berbice areas, Abary/ Mahaicony 16,000 acres, and Mahaica/ Mahaicony 8,000 acres.
“The rice industry is very critical to the farmers and the people in Region Five, and we are in fact expecting that this crop will be better in terms of prices and we are seeing an indication of that.”
He said that Government is maintaining its objectives of ensuring that farmers are not ripped off by millers and exporters and he urged millers to desist from such behaviour.
The Guyana Rice Development Board and the Rice Producers Association will be ensuring that the laws put in place to govern the rights of rice farmers are adhered to by millers.
“The world market prices have gone up in terms of rice so there is no excuse for any miller to say that they are unable to pay better prices than last crop; and we see the prices have gone up; so not withstanding this difficulty with El Nino, we hope that the better prices will certainly bring some additional relief,” he said.
He disclosed that a support programme to assist farmers in moving into the second crop has been put in place, benefiting farmers countrywide who have suffered losses.
The $100M support programme will be executed based on discussions as to what forms of support are required.
“We will also be looking at additional ways in which we can enhance this type of support as we seek to make our industry much more competitive to deal with price movements internationally, the effects of climate change, and prepare our industry to become much more competitive.”
Farmers in several areas are already benefiting from drying floors, including Crane, Region Three, and Walton Hall, Region Two.