With tripartite support…
MOCO Moco Village, in Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu/ Upper Essequibo) created history on Thursday by harvesting its first rice crop.
Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud, who witnessed some of the reaping from 82 acres, said Rupununi has much agriculture potential for employment.
At the rice bond in the village, community residents, schoolchildren included, gathered for the significant achievement and Mr. Persaud noted the thrust to enhance food security and self-sufficiency in hinterland communities.
The Agriculture Class at St. Ignatius Secondary School, who were also present, got a lecture on the production and harvesting of the grain.
Persaud said the hinterland rice planting is supported by the Administration to ensure that no community is left behind in Guyana’s developmental advance.
He and other stakeholders were proud witnesses of the first harvest and he also visited the rice mill.
An additional 11 acres of beans was ready to reap and the two crops were cultivated under the Hinterland Rice and Beans Project, a food security programme for indigenous communities in the Rupununi savannah.
The expected yield is 25 bags of paddy per acre and 900 pounds per acre of beans.
The $126M undertaking was facilitated by the Government, in partnership with the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development and Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).
For three years duration, it is aimed at developing savannah agriculture in an effort to increase crop production and enhance economies in the villages.
Persaud said the Ministry’s involvement facilitates the transition from subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture.
“We are putting resources into ensuring that this transformation happens,” he said.

CHALLENGES

Persaud pointed out that advancing agriculture in the hinterland is very different from doing it on the coast but said the challenges can be overcome once the people are willing.
“We will be able to move to another level with the people’s commitment,” he offered.
Persaud assured the community members that investments will continue to be made as the current Administration’s approach to development is an “even-handed” one that looks at all communities.
He said there is no reason why the Rupununi cannot be part of Guyana’s agricultural advancements because neighbouring Brazil has proven that savannah lands can be used for commercial agriculture.
The Agriculture Minister said this country can benefit from what has happened in Brazil and there can be a transfer of the technology that worked there where massive investments are being made across the board.
He outlined his ministry’s two-pronged approach to developing commercial agriculture in Guyana as working with communities to develop capacity so that projects, such as the Hinterland Rice and Beans Project, can be sustainable and seeking out investors to develop lands in the hinterland that have been identified for agricultural purposes.
About encouraging investors, Persaud said there has been some positive response and a $1.5 billion proposal for agriculture development is in the pipeline.
“Guyana has had success with building capacity to enhance access to food,” he disclosed.
According to him, in Latin America and the Caribbean, approximately 53 million people suffer from some form of food shortage, a reality that Guyana has, fortunately, been able to get past as it is food secure.
However, challenges are always inherent and Deputy General Manager of Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Mr. Madanlall Ramraj, in the project brief, said weather conditions constituted the primary challenge faced.
He said technical expertise was somewhat challenging, due to the regular staff changes but that has been addressed.
Ramraj said the planting started in July 2009 with three acres of beans and, subsequently, eight more acres were put under the plough,  after which the irrigation network was put in place and the 82 acres of rice planted.
He related that, in November that year, equipment and other support were sourced and the project advanced.

SUCCESS

He said the difficulties were not insurmountable and success was achieved.
One of the farmers involved, Mr. Errol Cassiano said organised farming is the way to go.
Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai, who was in the gathering, said the project is a good avenue for the community’s youths.
She said the younger generation can use their education by applying it to the resources of the village, in the quest for development, instead of leaving for the city or other areas in search of employment.
Sukhai said Moco Moco can lead other indigenous communities by example, feed itself, create employment, build capacity and improve the livelihoods of residents.
Region Nine Chairman,  Mr. Clarindo Lucas remarked that, after years of struggle, a more focused and organised strategy is being utilised for rice cultivation.
He lauded the Government for its support and said this is a step that goes a long way, in particular to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of eradicating poverty.
“This is a great step to build on,” Lucas admitted.
The entire project benefited from community support and the Guyana Chronicle interviewed some of those involved, who all agreed it was welcomed as one which would enhance not only the village’s food security but its economy.
Ms. Claire Lyte said her involvement was in the actual planting of rice and she and others see it as beneficial to them in many ways.
Another resident, Ms. Kelsire Orella acknowledged that planting beans and rice made good use of land which would, otherwise, have remained empty.
“It is a good thing for the people here,” she said.
Mrs. Arnelie Lyte said: “It is a good project and it will mean we have more work.”
One senior citizen and farmer, Mr. Paul Francis said he was born and bred there and sees the rice and beans farming as a good thing.
“We have the support we need and it is good for the people,” he commented.
One of the younger residents, agriculture student Gareth Lewis said the project will take agriculture in the area to another level.
“We will be able to move forward,” he opined.
Moco Moco, with a population of 400 people, has a rice history that dates back to the early 1940s, said President of  the Rupununi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), Mr. Alfred Ramsaran.
“We are moving to development,” he posited.