Rice farmers have been making commendable progress in this season’s harvesting, the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) has reported, stating that while only 36 percent of harvesting is complete, a total of 200,008 tonnes of paddy have already been harvested.
A release yesterday from the GRDB related that as of March 28, 2019, 200,008 tonnes of paddy, equivalent to 130,005 tonnes rice, had been harvested. With harvesting ongoing, the entity is hoping to achieve its 2019 first crop production target of 520,000 tonnes of paddy by the end of the harvesting process.
It was reported that of the amount harvested already, a total of 276,100 bags of paddy, equivalent to 17,538 metric tonnes of paddy, were produced by farmers in Baiboo/Cane Grove and Golden Grove/Mahaica, Region Four, who have completed 69 percent of their harvesting. In addition, farmers in Region Two completed 61 percent of their harvesting at the time of reporting, with those in La Belle Alliance-Windsor Castle harvesting 196,125 bags of paddy and those in Queenstown-Reliance harvesting 151,330 bags of paddy thus far. The release said that overall, a total of 47,049 metric tonnes of paddy have been harvested Region Two.
It was further noted that other regions, including Regions Three, Five and Six, as of March 28, reportedly harvested 8,460.33, 59,710.93 and 67,249.63 metric tonnes of paddy, respectively.
“Despite the challenges to access water in some areas, we were able to cultivate 88,147 hectares of farmland, which is 7,112 hectares more than the last or autumn crop of 2018. Some Regions did extremely well and we congratulate our rice farmers for their efforts, hard work and commitment to the sector,” GRDB’s General Manager, Nizam Hassan stated, commending the efforts of the farmers and extension officers in ensuring the industry prevails amidst ever-growing challenges.
Agriculture Minister, Noel Holder, also lauded the efforts of Guyana’s rice farmers, who he noted continue to demonstrate commitment to the sector’s growth and development. The release said he urged them to continue to apply the advice of the extension officers in executing the six point practice to ensure maximum production and productivity is achieved.
Minister Holder also stated that while Government has been implementing key policy initiatives to ensure the industry prevails, it is necessary for all players within the industry play their part. “We have been doing exceptionally well when it comes to production and productivity but it is the farmers who deserve the applause for always returning to the fields and doing what need to be done during every stage of the crop cycle,” he stated.
The GRDB reported that farmers across the country have been receiving favourable prices, as paddy prices range from $2,400 to $3,300 per bag or $36,912 to $50,754 per tonne.
