Persistent rainfall delaying rice Spring Crop harvest
THE persistent rainfall countrywide does not augur well for the planters and General Secretary of the Rice Producers’ Association (RPA), Mr. Dharamkumar Seeraj said the weather conditions spell trouble, particularly for Region Two (Pomeroon/ Supenaam), where harvesting is in full swing.
He said the major problems are the delay in reaping and the state of the access dams, which, currently, would not facilitate the transport of paddy from the fields.
However, Seeraj said the Ministry of Agriculture is meeting with stakeholders to address a possible contingency plan for deal with the general situation.
He said, while nothing can be done to change the weather, support can be given in other areas, such as improving drainage systems.
Seeraj said: “In all the rice producing regions, we observed a better yield but, if the farmers cannot get the paddy out of the fields, then a better yield does not mean much. The farmers are saying that they got the blessing of a better yield but have to take blows from the rain at the same time.”
He disclosed that, in Region Two, there has not been any harvesting for the last five days, as the dams are under water and the rain is not letting up.”
According to him, the paddy is long past time to be reaped and many farmers fear losses.
Seeraj said Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) is witnessing a similar situation and the harvest has been held up for the past four days.
He said the drainage systems there are coping with the excessive rainfall water in some areas but are overwhelmed in others.
Seeraj reported that, in the Mahaica Creek area, there are 4,000 acres of grains still in the ground and, between last Thursday and yesterday, only 100 acres were reaped.
In Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) the harvest is not so advanced but there are fields which are already 110 days old that would, usually, be harvested from 105 days, he said.
With regard to Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne), Black Bush Polder area is doing well, in terms of drainage, but the condition of dams is worrying, he lamented.
“In the front lands, the harvesting had started but it is held up right now. Only about 118 acres have been harvested in the last four days,” Seeraj said.
For the Spring Crop and the rice producing regions are expected to yield a total of4.4 million bags of paddy, from 14,000 hectares in Region Two; 1,000 in Region Three;  3,000 in Region Four; 28,000 in Region Five and 19,500 in Region Six.
To date, prices being offered the producers are between $3,600 and $4,000 per bag of paddy.
Meanwhile, Seeraj has announced that Mahaicony Rice Limited (MRL) has begun to pay outstanding debts to many farmers.
He said those in Region Two are being paid now and others in Regions Five and Six are to receive within this week.