PLEASE allow me to echo and support the sentiments of Ganga Persaud in his letter captioned: “There was poor germination of rice seedlings from Burma station this crop”. Rice farmers throughout the country have suffered the same faith with the purchase of seed paddy from both the RPA and Burma Research Station.

Often, rice farmers suffer from inadequate access to quality seed at prices they could afford. Obstacles to small-scale farmers’ ability to obtain good seed from these two entities include weak production and poor quality control mechanisms. Poor quality seeds are a major problem in many parts in the rice-growing regions of Guyana, with unscrupulous government and private dealers selling poor quality substitutes to farmers, many of whom like Ganga Persaud, only discover their costly mistake when their harvests fail.
Other major problems are the lack of information and inadequate national seed policies. Many of these so-called extension officers are not trained or even qualified in seed production and they do not monitor and certify seed plots to ensure quality. The seed systems of the Burma Research Station and of the RPA need to be strengthened to make them more resilient, so that farmers will have access to adaptive varieties that meet their varying needs.
Soaring seed prices and poor quality imply a complex set of challenges for entire rice-growing regions and in particular, vulnerable small farmers.The Burma Research Station and the RPA, which market improved seeds certified by local regulatory authorities, is not always suited to poor farmers and is facing growing criticism in some quarters. In the rice industry, the production of good seed material is of paramount importance; and the success of the rice industry of Guyana hinges on a sound seed programme.
The mechanism to achieve the difference in seed requirements should be outlined to the extension staff in the various regions; and to make sure they visit the seed plots on a regular basis and present a report sheet on their findings and the days of visits in these regions. The extension officers will have to identify suitable plots and register the seed growers.The seed growers these officers often select are friends and family with contaminated plots with red rice and schooner grass.
Prior to harvesting of these seed plots, the extension officer does not make field visits. The first is to advise on crop husbandry practices and good general oversight of the entire field, but this is not being done. The field is supposed to be sampled for purity, insect and other pest damage. If the field has reached the quality of C-1 seeds, the farmer will be issued a certificate, but this is not happening.

MOHAMED KHAN
Former Rice Extension Officer