With harvesting begun…
RICE Producers’ Association (RPA) General-Secretary Mr. Dharamkumar Seeraj reported that harvesting has started on the Essequibo Coast and is expected to be in full swing by the first week in March. He said the process began at Golden Fleece and farmers are expecting about $4,000 per bag of paddy as a minimum price.
Last year, prices for the grain ranged between $2,600 and $3,500 a bag but Seeraj said the anticipated increase is reflective of movements on the global market.
Food prices around the world surged to a new historic peak in January, for the seventh consecutive month, according to a United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) report, which added that the prices are not likely to decline in the months ahead.
Seeraj declared this is an opportunity for Guyana to capitalise on the disparity between supply and demand.
In 2010, the rice production was a record 360,996 tonnes and, this year, it is projected to rise even further, to 379,628 tonnes.
Guyana’s main rice producing areas are in Regions Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara), Four (Demerara/Mahaica), Five (Mahaica/Berbice) and Six (East Berbice/Corentyne).
However, Seeraj said not all those Regions were able to make use of their full capacity to produce.
In particular, he said Region Five harvested the previous crop late and the conditions for land preparation were not ideal and affected sowing.
There was a similar situation in Region Six and, considering the challenges, the hectares sown in the Regions will be 14,000 in Region Two; 1,000 in Region Three; 3,000 in Region Four; 28,000 in Region Five and 19,500 in Region Six, Seeraj said.
The Spring Crop is slated to deliver 4.4 million bags of paddy, he informed. (Vanessa Narine)