Rice production in Region Six got a boost on Friday with the commissioning of a new paddy drying facility at Number 43 Village (Bengal).

According to a release from the Government Infor-mation Agency (GINA), the facility was officially declared open by   Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud who stated that rice farmers will benefit tremendously since it will provide an opportunity for easier storage and increased value. This, he noted would result in better prices on the regional and international markets. Internally, he noted the facility will allow local farmers to better prepare seeds for the next crop. According to GINA, the project is an aspect of President Bharrat Jagdeo’s desire to ensure that interventions by the administration in assisting rice farmers bring immediate relief and more importantly, eliminate the practice of paddy being dried along the roadways in production locations.

According to GINA, since a significant amount of land has been turned over to rice cultivation, more infrastructure is to be prepared for drying purposes, due to an increase in acreage under cultivation requiring the need to create more facilities. Some 50,000 acres of new lands or reclaimed lands have been introduced into the rice belt, GINA noted.

General Secretary of the Rice Producers Association, Dharamkumar Seeraj stressed the importance of the drying floor and the construction of such facilities by the government.

According to GINA, Minister Persaud stated that large sums have been allocated in the 2010 budget to finance more agricultural facilities and as such he encouraged all stakeholders to continue to work together in the best interest of all concerned. On this note, Persaud used as an example farmers working to clear canals manually and in the Black Bush Polder area repairs were affected to a pump by the community which resulted in more water being made available.

Minister Persaud also referred to the impact the El Nino weather phenomenon has had on the country, noting that the dry weather has caused distress  with the loss of some  2000 acres of rice land. As a result, the release stated, the Agriculture Ministry is conducting an ‘all-out effort’ to minimize losses and to maintain an adequate supply of the commodity to satisfy the market, with some 112,000 tonnes being ready for export.

According to the release, the Ministry of  Agriculture is overseeing the  process which will see more mechanisms being put in place to ensure that front lands are irrigated. This involves the creation of a separate and independent system to have drainage and irrigation applied to farms in front and backlands. Engineers from the Guyana Sugar Corporation are assisting in addressing  conflicts with farmers over water distribution. The release stated that works will begin on the rehabilitation of pump stations at Mibicuri and Annerbisi, while a mobile pump is on the cards as well as support for drainage and irrigation infrastructure in the area.