…89,290 hectares harvested in first crop

AGAINST the backdrop of a healthy first crop, authorities are upbeat that rice production will improve despite some challenges within the sector.
According to a release from the Ministry of Agriculture, harvesting of the first crop of 2017 has been completed and the figures provided by the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) indicate that farmers harvested a total of 89,290 hectares, 23% over the first crop in 2016.

The figures translate to paddy production recorded at 518,667 metric tonnes ;an indication that the industry is resilient. It also indicates a rice farming community that continues to produce in ever increasing quantities despite hardships relative to cost of production and price paid to them per bag of paddy, the Ministry noted. GRDB General Manager (ag), Allison Peters was upbeat about the performance of the local rice industry.
“So you see the first crop figures have been better despite all that have occurred in the industry. Farmers are resilient, additionally, from paddy supplied to millers across the rice-growing regions, a total of 337, 133 metric tonnes of rice was produced. This is a 26 percent increase over last year’s first crop figures,” Peters said.
Despite the increase, the GRDB has been grappling with a decrease in exports of rice and paddy for the first four months of the year. This is as a result of exports to the Panama market for the first crop not being realised, the ministry said. For the first crop of 2017, exports amounted to 239,442 metric tonnes, some 60,000 tonnes less than that for the same period last year. From the exports, foreign exchange earnings from rice and paddy amounted to US$92,026.

Peters noted that while the exports were significantly less than for the corresponding period last year, the comparative value of the exports were not much different. “We did notice that the prices in 2017 first quarter were higher than those we got in 2016; specifically for the packaged rice; a lot of packaged rice were exported for the first quarter, a large portion of this was exported to Venezuela”, Peters said.
“Only last month we had over 4000 tonnes of white rice exported to Venezuela by private exporters”, she added. She praised the efforts of rice farmers as regards improvements reported in terms yield and the quality of paddy supplied to millers.
As a result of improved farming practices, some farmers have been reporting yields of up to 60 bags per acre, she said. She said that overall, Guyana’s national yield per acre has moved from 35 bags to 37.5 this last crop. Peters said the upward trend is likely to continue as more farmers adopt a six point plan and monitor their crops closely from start to finish.
Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder noted that success of the sector depends on higher yields. “The survival of our rice farmers and the industry as a whole hinges on farmers realizing higher yields per acre, as only in this way will they be able to cushion the increasing cost of production and remain viable” Holder said.

Holder cautioned that while there have been reports of farmers suffering as a result of paddy bug infestation, farmers and millers have indicated a significant reduction when compared to other crops. As he called for a cohesive effort by stakeholders, he lauded the efforts of rice farmers across Guyana for their hard work during the first crop, urging them to put their shoulders to the wheel in making the second crop this year, one that is record breaking. According to the ministry, the GRDB now focuses on preparations for the second crop of 2017. The board has projected a second crop target of 85,021 hectares. The board is also assisting farmers and has commenced issuing fertilizer to farmers on credit – the provision of quality seed paddy is also being assured.