The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) will be establishing a Post Harvest Technology Department at Burma, Mahaicony to widen its extension services to farmers.

Chairman of the GRDB Nigel Dharamlall made this disclosure at the recent technology highlights forum held at the Rice Research and Extension Centre. He said currently the support the GRDB provides to farmers largely involves pre-milling but the new department will cater to the needs of farmers who are interested in processing and other post harvest activities.

According to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release Dharamlall said the department will be established within the next quarter of the year. The GRDB will also be recruiting a field auditor who will be tasked with auditing all research and extension works conducted through the board, the research station and in farmers’ individual fields. “Preparing reports and listening to individual farmers will not give us the real meaning of what we want out of research and development so we have taken a decision to have the auditor monitor every aspect of GRDB’s work,” Dharamlall said.

The GRDB chair also said rice farmers may be the largest private sector group in the country whose efforts to remain competitive depend on restructuring. “For us to remain relevant, competitive we must take cognisance of the global dynamics. You do not operate only on a one-acre plot. Almost 70 per cent of Guyana’s rice is exported which remains a challenge since we are constrained by pricing,” he said. Dharamlall also said the GRDB has a mandate to the rice sector to strengthen the services provided and enhance the development work necessary for its survival. He pointed out that the board’s efforts must not just be confined to those enshrined in the Rice Act but must encapsulate a broad spectrum of support services which can only be achieved through meaningful collaboration with relevant entities.

Dharamlall said the GRDB will soon establish a hotline and he is confident that these extension services will boost performance. “Recognising the global competitiveness, we must at all times and at all costs reinvest, restructure, retool and reform in order to move forward,” he said.