-record-breaking harvest expected
While rice  farmers in other parts of the country are counting their losses caused by protracted, incessant rainfall, which left a trail of destruction mainly in Regions 4, 5 and 6, their counterparts on the Essequibo Coast are bracing themselves for a record-breaking harvest  of the commodity in some parts of the area which is due to begin in about two weeks time. It is hoped that the rain will cease, as it has done the last couple of days to allow farmers to reap a just reward for their hard work and perseverance on rice cultivation for their livelihoods.
Experiences over the past years have shown that unseasonal rains, erratic weather patterns and bad feeder roads have been  major concerns  to our rice farmers who have undauntedly stuck to rice cultivation for generation after generation.  But then came a time under the previous PNC government which extirpated the rice industry, and rice farmers in their droves abandoned their once thriving rice cultivation for options that brought them by far, less economic fortunes.
But today, thanks to the PPP/C government, rice farmers have never had it so good. Indeed, our rice farmers have trekked back to rice cultivation and are reaping tremendous gains through determined efforts, and for them, rice has again taken centre stage in their lives. It has again formed part of their culture; it  is the mantra for their survival.
We recall that under the PNC government,  rice cultivation  had dropped  from 100.000 hectares in 1964 to 36,000 hectares in 1988. And this was the sad story about rice in Guyana as we continue to look back from whence we came in the rice industry. For instance, the then government had set itself a production goal in 1991 of 240,000 tonnes, but true to form, in the first quarter of 1990, export of the commodity fell to a record low of 16,000 tonnes. Indeed this was when under the PNC, rice cultivation had “gone to the dogs.”
But the restoration of democracy and the coming to power of the PPP/C in 1992, brought new life to the rice industry and with it, new hope to our rice farmers. Over the years that followed, increased acreage was put under cultivation, and year after year, rice farmers have grown in confidence, so much so that today, more than 360,000 hectares throughout the country are under rice cultivation.
We acknowledge that on the Essequibo Coast alone,32,500 hectares of land are under rice cultivation, and most of the rice there will be ready for harvesting in two weeks time. We share the enthusiasm of the farmers there to harvest yet another bumper crop. This would be fantastic as the harvest is expected to yield more than one million bags of paddy.
Like the farmers in Essequibo, we are concerned about the state of the access roads to and from the cultivation areas. These roads have been put into  bad shape due to the recent incessant rainfall which drenched the entire country. The regional authorities in conjunction with the Ministry of Agriculture must do all they can to improve the condition of these roads, now that it seems as if the sun is giving them a chance to do so.
We are compelled to give rice the attention it deserves as it is easily the chief foreign exchange earner for agricultural produce, and is poised to surpass sugar as our main agricultural export.  We are obliged to mention that rice production continued to grow in proportion; while in 2010 the industry produced 361,525 tonnes, last year our rice farmers produced the highest ever rice production recorded in the history of the industry in Guyana—a mammoth 401,904 tonnes.
It is not difficult for anybody to attribute the increase in rice production to the government’s continued investments in programmes and initiatives to support rice farmers through various agencies. This is good for our government and farmers who must work together to ensure the industry’s viability.
This might very well be the case as in 2011, Guyana exported a total of 300,000 tonnes of rice with more than 160,000 exported to neighbouring Venezuela. Last year, the earnings from rice exports earned this country more than US$169 million. Our farmers are expected to gain more from the Venezuelan market as in November last year another agreement for the supply of rice and paddy to that country was signed between the Guyana government and the Venezuelan Government. We believe that the story of Guyana’s rice and rice farmers will continue to gain prominence as this country  moves to strengthen its capabilities.