Rice producer Nand Persaud Group of Companies (NPGC) has signed a $40 million Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Guyana (UG) to construct a soil testing facility at the university’s Tain, Corentyne, Berbice campus
Signing at a ceremony last Thursday on behalf of NPGC was Chief Executive Officer Rajendra Persaud while UG’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith signed on behalf of the University.
According to a Department of Public Information report, the ceremony was held at the tenth session of Turkeyen and Tain Talks, at the Pegasus Hotel.
Persaud was reported as saying that when completed, the facility will provide farmers with advance information that will reduce the cost of production, increase the yields and boost environmental risk management.
He added that the project is crucial to the agriculture sector because farmers are employing various methods in an unscientific manner, which is negatively affecting the production costs and their yields, particularly at a time when the demand for rice has increased.
“The farmers will know exactly what to apply and to what amount,” he was quoted as explaining.
According to the report, Persaud noted that studies have proven that the use of soil testing has become widely accepted by farmers and industries internationally. “Research has provided farmers with appropriate fertiliser use, such as recommendations for nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and limestone. It also allows for determining the micro-nutrient requirements of the crop,” he was also quoted as saying.
