…over 90,000 hectares of paddy sown, 500,000 tonnes to be harvested

OVER 90,000 hectares of paddy have been sowed thus far for the second crop, General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Nizam Hassan has said.
He told the Guyana Chronicle that the target 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.

As preparations for the second crop get underway, farmers have started sowing in all the rice- growing regions. According to information from the GRDB, 12,553 hectares have been sown in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), 8,669 hectares in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 3,791 in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), 40,910 in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and farmers in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) have sown 24,470 hectares.

Hassan said they are 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 is achieved.

According to the subject minister, while government has been implementing key policy initiatives to ensure the industry prevails, it is necessary for all players within the industry to play their part.