WITH over 75% of the current rice crop already harvested Guyana is on its way to achieving its target of 260,000 tonnes.

This was disclosed by General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Mr. Jagnarayan Singh during a telephone interview with the Guyana Chronicle yesterday, Singh revealed that thus far 160,288 tonnes have been produced for the crop, which represents approximately 77% of the target. Hence, he predicted that at the end of the crop, the target should be surpassed.
Together with the 211,586 tonnes produced in the first crop, once the target for this crop is reached or surpassed, rice production for the year will exceed 400,000 tonnes, as Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy predicted in a recent interview.
The minister had stated that this year will be the second instance, in the history of rice production in Guyana, that more than 400,000 tonnes are produced.
Although Singh said he does not have the export statistics for the end of October as yet, he revealed that 219,000 tonnes of rice have been exported for the year as of the end of September. According to him, this amounts to approximately US $128 M.
He also related that land preparation for the first crop of 2013 is already on the way with more than half the acreage has already been ploughed.
Singh further explained that out of the 70,000 hectares of land to be sown for the next crop, 47,000 have already been ploughed.
He advised that sowing for the new crop is done is November/December, while harvesting should begin in March, 2013.
Singh noted that Guyana is now experiencing some amount of rainfall which is expected at the end of the year. However, he said this should not affect rice production and in fact, the rainfall will be beneficial for the beginning of the new crop.
However, he added that while some areas have a fairly adequate supply of water, others have to ensure they properly manage their water resources. He noted specifically that Regions Two, Five and Six have an ample supply of water since farmers from those areas benefit from water pumps in the areas.
Region Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands), on the other hand, he said, is one of those places where water consumption has to be properly managed.