Dear Editor,

IN A letter to the editor dated April 27, 2025 under the headline, “The suffering for the small rice farmers is real,” Mrs. Lorrimer is once again not being true to herself, and is misrepresenting the facts.
Under the stewardship of Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha, MP, Minister of Agriculture, Guyana’s Agriculture sector, and in particular the rice sector, is on the uptake. There was a steady increase in rice production as seen in the table. For Mrs. Lorrimer, I will further explain the table.
As of 2024, Guyana had the highest paddy production since 1960. Let me further lament that Mrs. Lorrimer seems not to be familiar with the MMA-ADA Seed Processing Plant being rehabilitated and modernized, increasing production from 9,000 bags per crop to 50,000 bags per crop in 2025. The Black Bush Polder seed plant produces over 80,000 bags per crop.

What is also very important to note is the release of three new varieties of rice – GRDB 16, GRDB 18 and Bio-fortified Rice (GRDB 17). All have yield potential between seven-nine tonnes/ha. Some $3.6 billion in fertiliser, flood relief and seed paddy were distributed to rice farmers.
Acreage to be sown in 2025 is expected to exceed that of 2024 by 43,630 acres or an increase of 10 percent. Paddy production in 2025 is expected to exceed that of 2024.
Further, the national average yields have moved from 5.5 tonnes per hectare or 35.3 bags per acre in 2021 to 6.6 tonne per hectare or 41 bags per acre in 2024. The trend is continuing in the first crop of 2025.
Rice production in 2024 reached a record high of 725,282 tonnes, exceeding the 2023 figure by 71,756 tonnes.

As of the year-to-date, January to March 2025, exports have reached a total of 91,518 metric tonnes, valued at US$49,030,712. This represents an increase of 19,113 tonnes (26 percent) in tonnage and US$9,912,566 (25 percent) in value compared to the same period in 2024.
In Region Two, there was a 5.5 percent increase in the acreage cultivated for the first crop of 2025 over 2024.

It is fundamental to note that since taking office of Minister Mustapha, MP has spearheaded several initiatives aimed at revitalizing and modernizing Guyana’s agricultural sector.
Under his leadership, the sector has seen significant growth, particularly in the export of non-traditional crops. In the first half of 2024 alone, Guyana earned over $919 million from the export of such crops, marking a 12.7 percent increase compared to the previous year.​
Additionally, Mustapha has focused on enhancing infrastructure, including the construction of agro-processing facilities in rural areas like Region One, Two, Sven, Nine and 10 to enable farmers to add value to their produce. He has also been instrumental in promoting climate-resilient farming practices and integrating technology into agriculture, such as the use of hydroponics, the largest in the Caribbean, and digital tools for farm management.​
Beyond national efforts, Minister Mustapha has represented Guyana on regional and international platforms.

In March 2024, he was elected as Chairman of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation’s 38th Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean, where he emphasised the importance of technology, youth, and women in transforming agri-food systems. He is currently chairing the CARICOM Ministerial Task Force.

When compared to his predecessor, APNU+AFC agriculture minister Noel Holder, there is a deafening silence on any form of development within the sector. He was like the ostrich that bury its head in the sand and was completely oblivious of what was happening in Guyana’s agriculture sector.
Mrs. Lorrimer, a suspected paid hand, must be honest with herself on the numerous achievements such as the settlement of the Panama payment. Some $1.5 billion to rice millers so that farmers could have been paid. Also the payment of the Petro-Caribe debt was settled with farmers.
Yours faithfully,
Kimberly Ann Dowridge