RICE farmers of Region Two, Essequibo Coast, are getting ready to start harvesting their paddy fields within another two weeks.The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) office at Anna Regina has reported that harvesting will shortly commence at Hampton Court, Lima, Sparta, La Bella Alliance, Anna Regina, Golden Fleece, Perseverance, Johanna Cecelia and Hybonnia areas; the yield per acre looks very good, and production is expected to surpass the set target of one million bags.

Some 37,000 acres that are under cultivation will be harvested. The sunny weather is reportedly ideal for harvesting, and farmers are taking advantage of this good weather to drain and dry their fields preparatory to harvesting the golden grains.

Region Two Vice Chairman Mr Vishnu Samaroo said the regional administration’s drainage and irrigation department has also started work to plough, grade and level access dams in rice growing areas, so farmers can transport their paddy quickly to mills post harvesting.

He said the Water Users Associations (WUA) are also backfilling some dams with earth to help in the preparation process.

Mr Samaroo said some dams are still not properly dried, and he called on farmers to assist in digging outlets to drain off the water, so ploughing and levelling can be done quickly.
Some farmers have said they are anticipating favourable prices from millers for their paddy, and are calling in advance for prices to be displayed at rice factories that will be purchasing paddy before harvesting commences.

Every year, Government spends large sums of money through the Regional Administration, the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to improve the drainage and irrigation facilities by constructing concrete reinforced culverts, revetments and bridges.

Drainage canals between Johanna Cecelia and Dartmouth were recently desilted to improve drainage for rice cultivation.

When the PPP/C took over the reins of government on 5th October 1992, after winning general and regional elections, the rice industry was reportedly in a mess. Farmers had abandoned their fields because many of the drainage and irrigation canals had been blocked with weeds and bushes. Rice production was down, and there was no market under the PNC government. The industry, however, was given a new lease of life under the PPP/C administration, and today production is at a record level. Rice farmers have benefited greatly from Government investments in the industry over the years through the GRDB and the RPA. Farmers have been trained in six-point farming practices to get better production and to manage their fields better under the field school training programme. They have also benefited from participation in many other technical training programmes run under the auspices of the GRDB and the RPA.
(By Rajendra Prabhulall in Essequibo)