THE Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) is already surpassing its half-year target for 2024 due to the steadfast implementation of additional strategies and programmes within the Ministry of Agriculture.
This was revealed on Tuesday by Minister Zulfikar Mustapha. During the first quarter of this year, the GRDB reported that over 360,000 tonnes of rice have been produced, according to the minister.
The minister was speaking at the closing ceremony of the drone-technology programme at the Grand Coastal Inn, East Coast Demerara.
The GRDB has set its entire 2024 target for rice production at approximately 710,000 tonnes.
“For the first half of the year, we have already surpassed our target and we achieved a production of 362,030 tonnes,” Minister Mustapha said.
Production has also increased incrementally during the years 2022 and 2023. In 2022, 610,000 tonnes of rice was produced, while 653,710 tonnes was produced in 2023.
“When we look at the rice industry, we are seeing also a lot of revenue coming in… For example, in 2023, it brought in US$212 million. For the year, almost US $127 million has already been generated by this industry,” the minister recounted.
The GRDB is already targeting 750,000 tonnes by 2025. With the progressive increase in rice production, the minister foresees that the target will be met.
Additionally, between 2020 and 2024 (first crop), the rice yield has increased from 5.9 tonnes per hectare to approximately 6.6 tonnes per hectare.
It means that a farmer in 2020 harvested 38 bags of rice per acre and in 2024 is getting 41 bags per acre.
“This came about because of the investment that the government has been making in the agriculture sector, especially in the rice industry,” the agriculture minister stressed.
Over the last four years, farmers have witnessed almost nine high-yielding rice varieties being released for commercial production, which have since boosted rice productivity and sustainability.
The latest variety of rice to be launched was the biofortified rice. It was launched last year during the Agri Investment Forum and Expo, in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). This high-yielding rice attracts preferential prices within the market.