ACCORDING to the General Secretary of the Guyana Rice Producers Association (RPA), Dharamkumar Seeraj, the current rice crop is progressing well with some 75% of harvesting completed, This is indeed heartening news when one considers that the weather pattern has not been that good and there has been a prolonged rainy season, as well as the fact that rice farmers has been facing some severe challenges in recent years.
The prolonged rainy season must have caused some degree of nervousness and anxiety among rice farmers as memories of their crops being destroyed by rain is only too fresh in their minds.
However, their fears should be over, as Seeraj has pointed out that production of paddy is set to exceed that of last year and it is anticipated that 365,000 tonnes of paddy will be produced for this year, compared to 342,000 tonnes last year.
The steady growth of the rice industry, which at one time was on the verge of collapse, is due to several factors, including improved drainage and irrigation, better access dams, improved varieties of rice through intensified research, and greater application of science and technology, duty-free concessions on fuel and agricultural machinery, intensification of farmers education, and of course farmers dedication, sacrifice and resilience.
But there is still one bugbear which is facing farmers, and that is late payments by some millers to farmers which is causing great inconvenience and severe financial pressure on farmers. As such, whatever loose ends that are to be tied up should be done in the shortest possible time. We simply cannot allow our hard working farmers to suffer needlessly.
Nevertheless, markets are in their favour; and in this regard, the Venezuelan rice deal guarantees a market for Guyana’s rice. This is the second agreement with Venezuela, to the tune of some US$38M, for the supply of 50,000 tonnes of paddy and 20,000 tonnes of white rice.
Seeraj said this crop, more and more farmers are looking to benefit from this agreement.
Some farmers in Region Two have formed themselves into a group and are supplying directly to the Venezuela market, cutting out the middle man and increasing their disposable income.
Seeraj said the group is bringing its paddy to Georgetown for export and are making progress.
He added that individual farmers in Regions Five and Six have also taken advantage of the opportunity to supply Venezuela and fulfill Guyana’s agreement.
“It is a good thing that more and more farmers are getting involved in the post harvest process. This way, they have a greater appreciation for the processing and export of paddy and rice…there are no doubts about the agreement being met,” Seeraj noted.
On the global scene, prospects look extremely good, because according to FAO, the current forecast for international rice trade in the calendar year 2010, at 31.2 million tonnes, points to a 2.7 percent, or 800 000 tonnes, increase from the 2009 estimate and much higher than forecast last June. The revision reflects larger import requirements by those countries that faced important crop losses in recent months. If confirmed, trade next year would be the second largest after 2007.
Much of the growth is expected to be driven by larger imports by Asian countries, which are foreseen to reach 14.8 million tonnes on aggregate, almost 7 percent more than last year. Part of the increase would stem from increased purchases by Near East Asian countries, in particular Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, while rice flows into the Islamic Republic of Iran may be depressed by large domestic availabilities and a recent increase in the basmati rice tariff.
So now is the time when rice farmers could “make hay while the sun shines”.
For there will be days when the situation will be gloomy as well. So farmers have to now make the best of the currently good opportunities that are available.