-Guyana can become a pioneer in this area in this part of the world
THE Burma Rice Research Station (BRSS) is progressing with its development of a flood-tolerant strain of rice and Chief Scientist and Plant Breeder at the institution, Dr. Mahendra Persaud said farmers are involved in process. “All the ground work is completed…the preliminary tests were done at the station, but most of the others are done in the farmers’ fields across the country,” he said.
Persaud explained that this involvement extends to a general acceptance of the final product.
In the context of acceptance, the Chief Scientist said stringent testing is being done to ensure that the new rice strain is wholesome for the general public.
“In the development we have stringent lab and field tests, the cooking and milling, the entire process…if the rice does not meet the requisite standards then we don’t release it,” Persaud disclosed.
He said flooding is a major constraint in the rice sector and sometimes entire crops are lost, hence the need for this type of development.
He stressed that the growth and development of the rice industry remains a top priority of government and as such, the station has been working tirelessly to employ technologies to significantly reduce the impact severe weather has on farmers.
“We are happy with the progress…the progress is good and we have the cooperation we need on the international and local fronts,” he said.
The new strain is expected to be able to tolerate flood conditions for up to two weeks.
The flood-resistant variety has a gene (Sub 1 gene) that allows rice to survive complete submergence for up to 17 days,
“If there is to be more resilient rice plants available that can withstand the effects of flooded water for a period of up to two weeks under our local conditions,” he said.
The BRRS and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) are collaborating on the development of this strain of rice.
According to Persaud, the IRRI is the world’s premier rice institution and has experience with the development of a similar strain in India and Bangladesh.
Assistance is also being given by the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and the Guyana Rice Producers Association. (GRPA)
Persaud pointed out that the development of any rice strain takes as much as five years.
He said, “It is a long road, but we will get there…by 2015 we should have a flood-tolerant strain of rice.”

Pioneer
Persaud said Guyana can be a pioneer in this field in this part of the world as this type of genetic improvement in rice has only been successfully achieved in India and Bangladesh.
He noted that once Guyana has succeeded with this development, the sector will be able to access new markets and essentially have an edge over some producers and assured that once successful this development will significantly impact the rice markets.
“Our key focus is to improve production and, by extension, farmers’ profits and have a good yield in the sector…success at the level of the average farmers will mean success for the country,” he said.
According to Persaud, this new variety will add to several others that are currently being used. These include varieties that are blast resistant, can withstand delayed harvesting and those with enhanced cooking and milling qualities.
The GRDB has already released ten blast-resistant varieties. Focus is also being placed on the development of aromatic, tolerant to salt and disease resilient. It has also, over the past three years, developed 5000 breeding lines and is tasked with maintaining the genetic quality of each. Plans are also in train to develop aromatic rice, strains that are tolerant to salt and some that are disease resilient.
Over the past three years, GRDB has developed more that 5000 breeding lines and is also tasked with maintaining the genetic quality of each variety.
“The administration will continue to make intervention in this sector as huge sums are spent on the Rice Research Station, Burma to procure laboratory and specialized equipment, to improve the diagnostic capabilities of the industry,” Persaud said.