GRDB seeking to improve rice production in Region 2

…launches training programme

In an effort to improve rice yields in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), in collaboration with the Agriculture Ministry, has launched a training programme to strengthen farming skills.
During an interview with Guyana Times, GRDB Extension Manager Kuldip Ragnauth said that the programme would boost farmers’ knowledge of rice production.

He indicated that farmers are producing up to 25 bags per acre, which is considered a great decline in the production. The Agriculture Ministry is aiming to double farmers’ rice yields and as such, the two agricultural entities were going to work with the farmers, educating them on important areas and otherwise assisting them to improve their yields.
“Government would work with farmers to improve their cultivation and production levels where we intend to increase double rice production. However, farmers who harvested 25 bags of paddy per acre, the GRDB and the Ministry of Agriculture are waiting to see the vast increase in paddy yield of the upcoming crop,” Ragnauth told this publication.
Meanwhile, the GRDB, in a subsequent release, said that focus would be placed on four main areas, including farmers accessing seeds of high quality, of a single variety with high percentages for vigour and germination, so it should be free from seed-borne disease, weed seeds, red kernels and other impurities. “They should also be free from mechanical injury that might reduce germination and seedling vigour. They [extension officers] will teach farmers numerous agricultural practices and how to cultivate rice in a most efficient manner to achieve a higher yield,” the release read.
Further, it stated that in the intensive agriculture system, fertiliser recommendations should be based on a soil test. Nitrogen, it added, is the most limiting element in almost all soils, and proper application of nitrogen fertilisers is vital to improve crop growth and grain yields in rice cultivation.
Additionally, the GRDB is working diligently on minimising shattering losses in the field. In high-yielding varieties, it is necessary to dry large quantities of wet grain in the shortest time to minimise rice spoilage, damage from bugs and emerging diseases.
Additionally, Ragnauth told this newspaper that the GRDB Board and the station were focusing on how to better crops, and manage issues and difficulties farmers face in the fields.
“We aim to increase farmers’ rice yields by introducing good agricultural practices (GAP), an integrated set of recommended crop, soil, water, weed management practices and ensuring our farmers nourish their crops with appropriate amounts and types of fertiliser and also prevent bug infestation in the field. We want to improve the national average of paddy and also improve farmers’ livelihood,” Ragnauth said.