THE local rice industry continues to perform exceptionally well, and Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has indicated that that Ministry is now seeking additional export markets for Guyana?s rice. Rice production for last year surpassed its annual target of 412,225 tonnes to record a hitherto unprecedented figure of 422,058 tonnes, the highest production figure to date in Guyana?s history.
In a recent interview with the State media, Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy disclosed that Guyana?s rice industry has the potential to produce 500,000 tonnes by 2015. He said that, were the market immediately available, that amount could even be reached now; moreover, Guyana has the potential to produce 600,000 tonnes of rice by 2020.
Noting that most of the rice produced locally is exported, Dr Ramsammy revealed that some 334,000 tonnes have already been exported for 2013, and an additional 25,000 tonnes is currently being exported out of the country.
Guyana?s main rice importer is presently Venezuela, which accounts for approximately 60 per cent of exports. Other markets are Jamaica, Trinidad, Haiti and Cuba within the Caribbean Community, and Europe.
The minister said the Agriculture Ministry is currently pursuing additional foreign markets, such as Panama and Colombia, to afford farmers more options; and as production increases, there will be sufficient markets to supply.

However, he said that some of the existing markets have been under-served, particularly those in Europe, which received less rice in 2012; but he assured that the market is still there.
He also added that, prior to the massive earthquake which hit Haiti in 2010, that country procured approximately 25,000 tonnes of rice from Guyana. Haiti is now returning to normalcy, and Guyana is hoping to resume exportation of rice to Haiti.
Dr. Ramsammy disclosed that the Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs will be visiting Guyana to have meetings with his Guyanese counterpart, and the Agriculture Ministry plans to use that opportunity to engage Haiti in discussions leading to Guyana resuming exportation of rice to Haiti.

The minister related that during the 1960s, Cuba also procured some 25,000 tonnes of rice from Guyana. But in recent years, it has been very low. We are going to engage Cuba also in these discussions, so that as our rice production increases, our farmers have many more options, and there is a ready market for our rice, he said.