RICE production is expected to increase as predicted by the end of the year, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan disclosed. He said the industry will record an output of 602,087 tonnes for 2017.

This will represent a 12.7 percent increase as compared to output in 2016. “This is due mainly to an additional 14,000 hectares planted for the 2017 spring crop and a further 74,481 hectares planted in the autumn crop,” Minister Jordan explained. The Finance Minister said that this anticipated increased output can be linked to the fact that there was an improvement in rice yields. In 2016, Minister of Agriculture Noel Holder had projected increased production output for the rice industry.

Back then, Minister Holder had explained that rice production declined significantly during 2016 due to severe El Nino weather conditions. He had also said that a number of farmers also exited the industry due to the loss of the high-priced Venezuelan market. However, efforts by private millers and government to source new rice markets in 2017 have contributed to improved rice production.

Minister Jordan said that “These developments stem from farmers’ renewed confidence in their ability to access new markets. The recent attendance by the private sector at the Havana International Fair in Cuba helped to stimulate further investment in the industry.”