Bengal Village, Corentyne has started to attract notice because of Bengal Aromatic Rice which has hit the market locally and will soon reach Trinidad. The aromatic rice is Guyana’s answer to the popular Basmati rice which is grown in India and Pakistan.
Whereas other villages usually have Dutch or English names, ‘Bengal’ was given its name by the Indian immigrants who were presumably allocated land there at some point after their indentureship contracts ended, and who decided to call their village after the region in India from which they came.
With a small mixed population of just 300, Bengal has been developing commercially and has a chemical shop, meat centre, grocery store and an internet café. However, three gas stations that had kept the village busy have been closed. This