Encouraging signs for current rice crop

AT the beginning of the first rice crop for this year, there was some degree

of worry as the availability of irrigation water became an issue because of the shortened rainfall. However, that issue has subsided and the crop is off to an extremely optimistic course with harvesting already started in Essequibo where 1,300 out of the 2,000 hectares have been reaped so far in that region, and from all indications the yield on the Essequibo Coast in Region 2 will be excellent.
According to Agriculture Minister, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy, harvesting of the first rice crop for 2013 is well under way with approximately 2,000 hectares already reaped and some 82,000 hectares or approximately 202,000 acres of rice have been cultivated, representing the largest single crop acreage in the history of Guyana.
He noted that Region 5 has the largest amount of land under rice cultivation with more than 32,000 hectares, followed by Region 6(with approximately 23,000 hectares.
He related that farmers are now at the stage of reaping, which has started early for the crop. He added that the reaping will accelerate and by the end of this month more than half of the rice crop would have been reaped. This is a most pertinent and crucial issue, because of the unusual and unpredictable weather patterns we have been experiencing in recent years. So while rains are expected in May/June it may very well come earlier and if that happens, then harvesting may be under threat and by extension the volume of production of rice.
Therefore the expected earlier than usual conclusion of harvesting could turn out to be very advantageous for farmers and the rice industry as a whole.
What is also encouraging is that, according to Dr Ramsammy, the 206,000 tonnes of rice that have been targeted for this crop will be easily surpassed.
It is commendable too, that persistent efforts have been made and are being made to continuously increase yields and no doubt this has been a significant contributor to the huge increases in rice production in recent years. The last two seeing unprecedented production of over 400,000 tonnes.
However, one of the nagging problems in the rice industry has been the late payment to farmers on the part of certain rice millers/exporters. Farmers have to be paid within a reasonable time because they have to make heavy financial investments during the cultivation period and therefore they incur a lot of expenses in land preparation and inputs, with many of them obtaining the latter on credit and at the end of a crop their creditors would look forward for their payments.
In addition, rice farming calls for a lot of hard work and sacrifices; therefore, it is highly unfair and a gross injustice for them not to receive payments within a reasonable time. After all, the farmers are the primary producers and without them there would be no rice industry.
Therefore they must be treated with the utmost respect and dignity and it is almost a certainty that those who manage the industry would ensure that this happens, because based on recent experience they all seem to be very dedicated and committed to the well-being of farmers and the rice industry.

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