Dear Editor,
The Ministry of Agriculture has announced that 140,000 bags of urea fertilizer are on the way from Venezuela for 20,000 farmers in all the rice-growing regions at a cost of $5,000 per bag. Actual farm use has shown that farmers are using one bag urea (50kg/110 lbs) per acre which results in significant economic gains; a ten-acre block will need 30 bags of urea.
The register and surveys of rice farmers in all the rice-growing regions have shown a total acreage of 192,500. This would mean that there would still be a shortage of urea fertilizer for the present crop in relation to the second and third dose applications.
Farmers were paying $5000 for a bag of urea last crop, so in real sense they would not be benefiting. Later in the crop the price went up to $5,200 for a bag because there was a shortage of fertilizers supplied by the Ministry of Agriculture and the farmers had to buy their remaining supplies from businessmen and wholesale suppliers.
When these fertilizers come into Region Two, they are stored away from the central part of the coast, and it is very costly for farmers to pay transportation to their destinations. Sometimes the farmers end up paying $5,500 for a bag when they purchase it at the government bond, so they prefer to buy the fertilizers from private businessmen who will transport it direct to their home at the same price as the Ministry of Agriculture.
These fertilizers could be stored in three districts: Aurora, Suddie and Anna Regina, which would be much easier for the farmers to access and which would save time and money.
Research has shown that if the Ministry of Agriculture imported 586,500 bags of urea fertilizer, the farmers would have enough for this present crop. The Guyana Rice Producers’ Association (RPA) and Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) have a farmers’register with each farmer’s acreage and the total acres of rice land in each rice-growing region. This could be used as a guideline.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan
Former Rice Extension Officer
