Dear Editor,

Since the departure of Dr S Devadattu the rice scientist from India on August 13, 2001 the standard of the Burma Rice Research Station has dropped tremendously.

Dr Devadattu had joined the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) on May 12, 1995, as Head of Plant Pathology under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme of the Government of India. He started working on the development of blast resistant lines. Thousands of breeding lines were then evaluated at different blast prone areas and hundreds of blast resistant lines were indentified.

After conducting on farm evaluations, blast resistant F-10, BR240 and BR444 were released in 1997.These varieties increased the national average yields and saved rice farmers millions of dollars for the control of blast, which was very prevalent in the industry through fungicides.

In 2000 four more blast resistant lines were released for on farm testing on a large scale throughout the country. These lines were G98-22-4,G98-30-3,G98-24-1 and G98-196 and yielded 35 bags per acre, since his departure no more work has been done on these varieties and the quality and yield has dropped immensely. Last crop the quality of basic and certified seeds received from Burma Research Station into Region Two was poor causing the farmers to lose substantial income from their crops.

The germination of these seeds was below 50% and the plant population in the field was decreased causing poor yield to the farmers. In any agricultural industry, the production of good seed material is of paramount importance to the farmers. The success of the rice industry of Guyana is pivoted on a sound seed programme. The current seed programme is initiated at the Burma Research Station and the Guyana Rice Producers Association Branch, Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast. The benefits of good seeds are control of red rice, seed of uniform grain, length and width, better and even plant stand in the field, uniform ripening of the field.

Yours faithfully,

Mohamed Khan