THE harvesting of spices cultivated by the National Agriculture Research Institute (NARI), previously scheduled for December, has been postponed to January 2011. NARI Director, Dr.  Oudho Homenauth, said the postponement is due to the unfavourable weather conditions but the cultivation, which started in July, is reacting fairly well to the local soil type.
He said, presently, two blackpepper plant nurseries have been established, one at the NARI headquarters, Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara and the other at Hosororo in North West District, Region One (Barima/Waini).
Homenauth said 1,000 cuttings of blackpepper will be available for reaping by the middle of next year.
In relation to tumeric, he said a total of 30 farmers in Region One are now engaged in the planting, in comparison to only three last year.
Homenauth said the crop is scheduled for reaping in January or February, as it would take a maximum of seven months to mature.
He said only half of that harvest will be marketed and the other half would go towards expanding the enterprise.
Homenauth informed that approximately 70 tonnes will be dried and polished and a projected Spices were introduced on a small scale in Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) in August and are doing well at Kato, Paramakatoi and Bamboo Creek villages, he reported.
Homenauth said the tumeric polisher and ginger grinder machines have arrived from India and are to be installed at the Kumaka/Mabaruma Agriculture Centre for the benefit of Region One farmers.
He said the location was chosen as it is close to the terminal from where a ferry boat would transport the production directly to Georgetown.
A total of 6.5 acres are to be cultivated, to yield about 140 tonnes next year, Homenauth said, noting that only six farmers are growing ginger in Region One because of the difficulty in obtaining planting materials but favourable conditions exist there for growing it.
He said, in past years, imported ginger has proven to be very costly and, consequently, 20 acres have been planted in Region One, yielding some 15 tonnes for local use.
Homenauth said nutmeg takes two years to mature but there are 1,005 seedlings in the Hosororo Nursery, currently, with 2,000 expected by next year.
“The growth and development of blackpepper and tumeric has been great, so far, and, once there is a demand, we will continue on a larger scale next year,” he said.  (Nazeela Alli)