FARMERS are now being paid higher prices for paddy sold to mills, compared to what they were paid during the first crop season.

According to the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), millers have been paying between $41,526 and $53,830 per tonne of paddy. When harvesting commenced a few weeks ago, prices ranged from $40,000 to $46,140 per tonne.

Second crop paddy prices are higher than the prices paid during the first crop of 2019. At the close of the paddy intake period for first crop 2019, farmers were paid $50,754 to $30,760 per tonne.

Prior to the commencement of harvesting for the second crop, GRDB conducted training of rice farmers to grade paddy and rice in all producing regions. The most recent training was held on the island of Wakenaam.

It was reported that the target for the second crop was initially 85,000 hectares, but it was revised due to the fact that the rice sector had surpassed its target of 88,500 hectares for the first crop.

General Manager of GRDB, Nizam Hassan, had said that the board was looking to harvest over 500,000 tonnes of paddy at the end of the second crop. The GRDB believes that inclement weather might affect the crop to some extent. The total projected target for this year is almost one million tonnes of paddy, as 522,255 tonnes was the target for the first crop.

It was reported that the performance of the rice industry continues to improve rapidly with earnings for the first quarter of the year reaching US$41.7 million, about 2.15 times the US$19.3 million which was earned in the corresponding period last year. According to information presented by Hassan, Guyana exported 103,024 tonnes of rice from January-March 2019, more than twice the 49,629 tonnes exported during the same period last year.
Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder, had lauded the efforts of Guyana’s rice farmers in ensuring the continued success of the industry, noting that they continue to express commitment to the sector’s growth and development. He also urged farmers to continue to apply the advice of the extension officers in executing the six-point practice to ensure maximum production and productivity are achieved.