Close to 33,000 acres of rice are under threat as Essequibo Coast rice farmers are once again grappling with the invasion of paddy bugs, which they fear could destroy the crop if swift action is not taken to get the infestation under control.
At present, farmers between Anna Regina and Charity and in the Supenaam area have been battling for several weeks despite some assistance from the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB). The GRDB has been spraying in communities where there have been reports of the paddy bug manifesting.
In 2019, the GRDB had to intensify its spraying programme to assist in managing the paddy bug infestation.