Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and a paddy bug infestation, rice exports increased by 14% up to November last year earning an additional US$23,963,842 when compared to 2019, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha told Stabroek News on Saturday.
Between January to November 2020, Guyana exported 549,066 tonnes of rice raking in US$225, 772,431 compared to 481,212 tonnes which brought in US$201,808,589 during the same period in 2019.
According to the minister, during 2020 rice was exported to 40 countries with the major markets being Jamaica, Trinidad, Bel-gium, Holland, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Colombia, Haiti, Honduras and Venezuela.
Throughout the double crop for the year 1,057,571 tonnes of paddy were produced after 186,652 hectares of land were cultivated. During the first crop, 535,517 tonnes of paddy were harvested and produced some 348,086 tonnes of rice while in the second crop 522,054 tonnes of paddy were harvested and produced 339,335 tonnes of rice.
Mustapha said rice production and rice byproducts are projected to bring in some US$257.3m after exports this year. It is forecast that from 188,000 hectares of rice sown, 1,107,580 tonnes of paddy will be harvested, producing 719,927 tonnes of rice of which 649,480 tonnes will be exported .
He noted however that the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) will have to place much emphasis on marketing, research, seed production and extension services to farmers and millers.
Paddy bug infestation
Mustapha said that they will also aim at tackling the paddy bug infestation which has been plaguing farmers mainly on the Essequibo coast.
He noted that under the paddy bug management programme, they will work to map out areas that are prone to infestation and work to reduce the time paddy bugs are left untreated. He said too that the GRDB has committed to composing a list of recommended insecticides that can be used to prevent significant infestation.
The Agriculture Minister also stated that they will have daily monitoring of the bug throughout the crop period and in every district they will conduct demonstrations on treatment and monitoring.
In mid-2020 close to 33,000 acres of rice were under threat on the Essequibo Coast. In 2019, the GRDB had to intensify its spraying programme to assist in managing the paddy bug infestation.
Further, he pointed out that GRDB extension officers will also focus on monitoring rice problems which have been limiting profitability of production not only in Guyana but across the rice producing countries. On this note, he said that they will deploy officers to monitor the crop during the vegetative stage right on to its reproductive stage and compile reports.
