Concerns over meeting local consumption forced Guyana to significantly reduce its rice exports to some of its traditional markets last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture’s Commodity Market Update (CMU) for the fourth quarter of 2010.
According to the latest CMU, released by the Agriculture Ministry, while Guyana continued to receive requests “to support other countries,” exports had to be reduced “to ensure that there are adequate supplies for the local market.” The volume of rice exported to Caribbean Community (CARICOM) markets reduced by 4.92% in December while exports to European markets dipped by 26.3% compared with the corresponding period last year. The major cuts in rice exports to Europe were recorded in Portugal (94.75%) and Poland (86.27%).
However, the rice industry also recorded significant increases in exports in December and was able to capitalise on high export prices and. “For the category of other countries, the quantity of rice exported increased by 310.56 per cent during the period under review,” the CMU said. This significant increase in exports, it notes, “was as a result of a 347.40 per cent increase in the volume of rice exported to Venezuela in December 2010 over December 2009.”
Rice output for December, according to the CMU, declined by 72.8% over the corresponding period in 2009 though, the report says, the actual level of production for the period surpassed the budgeted level.
The Ministry of Agriculture is hailing the 2010 success of the local rice industry, pointing out that the 360,000 tonnes produced last year exceeded the initial level that was estimated for the year. The success of the industry was attributed to the input of farmers and technical and extension services, including water management by the Ministry of Agriculture, despite the disruptions caused by climate change. According to the CMU, in 2010 the rice industry also recorded “its highest export of 320,000 tonnes.” It added, “The rice sector has been one of the more exciting sectors in terms of performance, because at the start of the year it was very fearful about the performance of the rice industry in light of the El Niño condition.”
Meanwhile, the CMU also reported increases in production and the export of several categories of forestry products last year. It said from January to November 2010, 259,489 m3 (metres cubed) of logs were produced compared with 244,350 m3 over the same period in 2009. This, the CMU said, represented an increase of 6.2%. Additionally, split wood production soared by137.6%.
Total timber and plywood exported for January to November 2010 increased by 38.41% and according to the CMU the increased export levels were attributable mainly to a 95.68% increase in log exports over export levels for the previous year. The same period also saw a marginal increase (3.87%) in the volume of round wood exports.
The total value of forest products exported from January to November increased by 9.01%, when compared with the same period in 2009, with the major contributors being made by increased prices for logs and round wood.
