THE Guyana Rice Development Board’s (GRDB) central laboratory was recently re-certified under the Laboratory Certification Programme of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS).

The GNBS re-certified GRDB’s Central Laboratory, enabling it to continue to operate as a grading laboratory for the testing of rice and paddy, thus conforming the facility to the requirements of the Guyana Standard – GYS 170:2009, “General requirements for the operation of a laboratory”.

The certification is for a two-year period. GRDB was first certified in 2011. Over the past several weeks, the rice board worked with GNBS to ensure that systems/procedures to maintain the certification as a grading laboratory were met.

The GRDB stated in a press release on Friday that the body, through its Quality Control Department, is mandated to grade and certify all paddy rice and its by-products for local consumption and exportation to regional and international markets.
Currently Guyana exports rice and paddy to 37 countries.

The central laboratory of GRDB was also recently re-accredited to the ISO:17025, “General Requirement for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories” by the Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation on April 24, 2019.

GRDB’s central laboratory was the first testing lab in Guyana to be accredited to the International Standard ISO:17025.

Allison Peters, Deputy General Manager of the GRDB, stated that certification and accreditation of the central laboratory has ensured that staff continuously follow the procedures and systems required to ensure that the quality of rice tested is accurately measured in keeping with the required standards thereby ensuring that high quality rice products are produced by millers for local and export consumption.

Nizam Hassan, General Manager of the GRDB, stated that the re-certification of the laboratory by both GNBS and JANAC demonstrates the commitment that the board has placed on ensuring that it executes it responsibilities in keeping with industry best practices and international standards.

He further stated that Guyana’s customers can be assured that the product being supplied has been tested to meet their required quality specifications as set out in their contracts with millers.

GRDB has grading facilities at its Region’s Two, Three and Six sub-offices, and its Rice Research Station at Burma, Mahaicony.