…rice farmers urged to adhere to GRDB’s recommendations

AS part of on-going efforts to tackle paddy bug infestation, rice farmers across the country are being urged to adhere to the recommendations and guidelines of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).

“They don’t spray right and they are not mixing the recommended amount of insecticides,” said General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Nizam Hassan, during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Monday.

In April, the Council of the Central Corentyne Chamber said it is expected that approximately 20 per cent of the entire crop of 58,200 acres in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) would be ravaged by paddy bugs. Hassan however debunked those claims, noting that the situation is not so bad and that the board of the GRBD has been working assiduously with farmers to find a way to manage the situation. “In order to manage the infestation farmers need to follow the guidelines provided by the GRDB,” he said.

The GRDB recently conducted an outreach in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) where they reminded farmers about those guidelines and supported them to reduce the damages caused by paddy bug infestation. In order to curb high infestation, the board had also provided chemicals to farmers in Region Two.

“We provided assistance to 12,690 acres,” said Hassan, adding that it is part of an effort to increase the national yield. According to reports on the first crop, the national yield increased from five tonnes during the first quarter last year to six tonnes of paddy per hectare this year.

The GRDB had said that famers have been assisted with monitoring their fields for paddy bugs for a number of years. GRDB extension officers monitor farmers’ fields daily for a ten-day period before harvesting and based on the levels of paddy bugs, they advise farmers on whether to spray their fields or not.

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. The PBMOs work along with the extension officers to enhance the management of paddy bugs.
The chamber had suggested that more research and other biological methods of pest control have to be explored. Members of the chamber had suggested that GRDB should make one aerial spraying per crop, countrywide, in order to take care of pests in abandoned acreage, dams and trenches. GRDB, however, said area-wide management with aerial spraying will get rid of an existing paddy bug population, but it will not prevent reinvasions from occurring.

Aerial spraying of pesticides require environmental authorisation from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Area-wide management with an insecticide is most effective when the age range of the crop in a given block is within ten days, said the GRDB.

Research has been ongoing to develop effective and sustainable management strategies for paddy bugs. Among the activities are investigations into the bug’s reproduction and survival strategies, its biology and economic impact. The GRDB said a sound monitoring and surveillance system has been one of the main focal points for efficient and effective management of paddy bugs.

Other aspects to developing effective mechanisms to control this bug will be to utilise natural resources like botanicals and biological control agents. Ultimately, there should be reduced dependence on the use of chemical insecticides, coinciding with a sound integrated pest management programme.