AMIDST the challenges that are currently being experienced by the local rice industry are the upsurge of paddy bugs and an extended wet period, however, Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy have expressed confidence that the current rice crop will be successful.

In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Thursday, the minister noted that farmers are presently moving into the harvesting period and that a few farmers in Region 2 (Pomeroon/Supenaam) have already began harvesting.
He advised that the present persistent rainy conditions are not ideal for rice harvesting. However, he said that the impact on the crop is not great since only a small amount of farmers have begun harvesting.
“The problem is in about two to three weeks, the bulk of the farmers will begin to harvest and this present condition will have an impact on them,” Dr Ramsammy stated.
He pointed out that the rice crop is so designed that this period should, as is the normal situation, be dry, which is the suitable weather for harvesting. He added, though, that weather forecasts predict wet conditions would continue even into September.
The minister explained that dry weather is needed when harvesting, not only for the fields, but for the access dams as well.
“When you’re harvesting you need good dams and the dams are in a bad condition in all the regions,” he said.
He further stated that resources have been allocated to rehabilitate the dams in preparation for harvest but continuous rainfall has also stalled those works.
In addition, he said that some farmers have begun to harvest using the wet dams, causing them further damage.
Meanwhile, Ramsammy noted that a resurgence of paddy bugs in rice fields across the country is also threatening the crop. However, he indicated that the Ministry of Agriculture, along with the Guyana Rice Producers Association (RPA) and the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) have put measures in place to address the situation.
In the first crop of this year, some damage was done to rice plants due to a high prevalence of paddy bugs, particularly in Region 2. Nevertheless, that crop performed exceedingly well with a production of some 263,000 tonnes, significantly more than the target of 206,000 tonnes.
Dr Ramsammy stated that the issue of the paddy bug is one of the major struggles in every major rice-producing country. “It’s not something that disappears, it’s always there but we have to make sure that we control it and Guyana has done a pretty good job at controlling it,” he said.
He related that it is not usually heard of much in Guyana because the programmes which are in place control it “fairly well.”
Nevertheless, he advised that it is really an environmental issue and whilst chemicals can be used to manage it, the best method of control is addressing the environmental issues, such as keeping the rice fields and surrounding areas clean.
The minister noted that in the first crop, the paddy bug issue escalated because the farmers and extension workers in the area failed to detect that there was a rise in the population, at a time when it would have been easier to control.
He added that there is an inadequate number of extension workers in the regions to effectively monitor all the rice fields since they are very few compared to the number of fields. As such, he said that it is the responsibility of each farmer to monitor their farms.
Moreover, he related that during the last crop extension workers had waited until the end of the week to report the cases to the RPA and the GRDB. Hence, by the time action was taken to try to manage the situation, the damage was already done.
However, Dr Ramsammy said that for the current crop the extension workers in the regions have been instructed to report all cases immediately to the national authorities, so that those authorities can then respond immediately. Additionally, he indicated that pesticides are being provided to affected farmers at half price.
He further advised that the situation appears to be under control, as indicated from the little harvesting that has been done.
The minister said that another good yielding crop is still expected, and a production of close to 250,000 tonnes is also expected. The production target for this crop is 206, 000 tonnes.
Ramsammy is optimistic that the local rice industry could easily surpass a production of 500,000 tonnes this year, for the first time in history.
He said though that a major concern stemming from this increased production in the availability of markets. He added that the issue is not whether Guyana can get markets for its rice, but rather if the country can get the “right price” for its rice.