Abnormal rainfall across Guyana affects 1st crop rice harvest

– Minister urges farmers to use separate dams

The Hydromet Office at the Ministry of Agriculture has announced a consultant that expected moderate to heavy rainfall and thunderstorms as well as possible flooding in low lying areas.
With this in mind, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has urged rice farmers to exercise discretion in the use of dams as they convey their trade.
The rainy season comes at a time when farmers are halfway through the first crop rice harvest, with many fearing that the rains could seriously hamper harvests and rehabilitation dams become impossible.
The Minister of Agriculture noted that Guyana is currently experiencing a high intensity of rainfall and that while its Ministry has repaired dams to the tune of millions of dollars, those dams could become wretched due to the movement of heavy machinery on them.

“So, I want to ask farmers that they have to be careful. We will try our best to maintain these dams. We have allocated a lot of money to do repairs and maintenance as usual and we would have liked to see these repairs last until the end of the crop, ”said Mustapha.

But even as the rains threaten the remaining harvest, initial figures show that this first crop could be a small crop for farmers, with the GRDB stating that the average yield has moving up from 35 bags per acre to 38 bags.
GRDB Acting General Manager Kulkip Ragnauth believes farmers are reaping the results of improved agronomic practices.
However, he said harvesting had been delayed due to the current rains. Nevertheless, he is hopeful that if the rain decreases, farmers will be able to catch up on their harvest.
“The product is really good. Output to date is approximately six tonnes per hectare which is approximately 38 bags per acre. ”

Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) has been reporting the highest yields, Ragnauth said while noting that Black Bush Polder in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) was not far behind. About 80 percent of the crop is harvested in the Black Bush Polder.
In fact, some farmers are already preparing to start the second crop.
“The GRBD-16, the latest release released by the Board, was commercially available to farmers this season and we’ve seen some great performances from that truth as well as other truths as well; GRDB-15. GRDB-14 as well as GRDB-12. We can’t let GRDB-10 be one of the players in the industry, ”Ragnauth noted.
Based on the figures provided by the GRDB, the Minister for Agriculture is confident that weather permitting, farmers will enjoy a record-breaking harvest of this first crop.
“Our quota to different parts of the world has increased. For example, here in Brazil, our quota has been increased from 10,000 tonnes to 34,000 tonnes, which is an additional 24,000 tonnes. We have won new markets in Hungary and Latvia and I hope we can get more markets in the pipeline because at the moment we are working very closely with our Caribbean neighbors to increase our quota those countries. “
Before starting the crop, Minister Mustapha had predicted it was going to be one of the biggest ever in Guyana.