…deploys officer in each rice-growing region

THE Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), aware of the damaging and costly effects of paddy bugs to the industry, says that it continues to give priority to pest control even as it warned farmers to sow according to the advised growing season.
Admitting that paddy bugs can be persistent, the GRDB, in a release on Thursday, also indicated that recently, in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), over 15,000 acres were sown outside of the recommended period despite farmers being advised otherwise.
The Board’s release comes following a Kaieteur News article on Thursday titled ‘Paddy bug ravages Region Six rice Crop,’ which detailed the struggles of farmers who have lost percentages of their crops to the bug.

In the article, the farmers also expressed that they are dissatisfied with the assistance being rendered to them in this regard.

“GRDB continues to inform farmers on the management of paddy bugs. For the first crop of 2019, GRDB’s Extension Department conducted 765 paddy bug management demonstrations, where approximately 142 farmers attended. In Region Six, the Extension Department conducted 30 paddy bug management demonstrations throughout the region, however only 75 farmers attended these activities,” the release said.
It continued: “The Board continues to advise farmers on paddy bug management through social media, television infomercials, distributing of flyers to farmers and adverts in local newspapers.”

It stated that following the re-emergence of higher levels of paddy bugs, a dedicated Paddy Bug Management Officer (PBMO) was employed and placed in each rice-growing region to assist.
The GRBD also provided information on the paddy bug advising area wide management with aerial spraying, which will get rid of an existing paddy bug population but not permanently.
“Aerial spraying of pesticides requires environmental authorisation from the Environmental Protection Agency. Area wide management with an insecticide is most effective when the age range of the crop in a given block is within 10 days. Effective area wide management is also achieved when farmers come together and spray at the same time. If the age range is extended beyond 10 days, some farmers’ fields may need spraying whilst others may not. This can cause bugs to nest in unsprayed areas, multiply and migrate to fields that were once sprayed,” the release cautioned.

The GRBD also encouraged proper sanitation at cultivated areas and the application of chemicals with the recommended techniques, even as it conducts research to develop effective and sustainable management strategies for paddy bugs.