Guyana’s 1st rice crop surpasses target – Agri Minister

The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) has reported surpassing its production target for the first crop of the year with approximately 209,000 acres of rice under cultivation.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha on Thursday disclosed that the GRDB utilised the warmer-than-usual weather to its advantage, and critical and timely interventions were made by the body that saw the successful cultivation of the first crop for the year.
The Minister, who was at the time participating in a discussion on the Guyana Dialogue programme, said that the GRDB has already commenced land preparation for the second crop with approximately 150,000 acres receiving dry land preparation.
Additionally, the GRDB has also commenced sensitising farmers about the advised sowing periods for the second crop. Extension officers are currently hosting awareness sessions with farmers within the rice-growing regions.
According to Mustapha, the country’s first crop for 2024 shows high acreage cultivation and the GRDB is aiming to double this with the second crop.
“Last year, we moved production to 653,000 metric tonnes; the target we are setting this year is 710,000 metric tonnes to produce for rice. We have new markets, we have better-yielding rice and for example we have seen the last crop we have rice production increase from 30 to 35 bags per acre to now 40 or 45 bags,” Mustapha said.
The Agriculture Ministry had been active in evaluating new rice strains to determine the most suitable varieties for cultivation in the country.
In 2023, Guyana achieved a milestone by launching the GRDB IICA 17, becoming the first country in the Caribbean and Central America to cultivate bio-fortified rice with zinc.
This initiative contributed significantly to the first crop of rice in 2024 cultivated by farmers across the country.
Mustapha said the rice strain GRDB-16, which is the current highest-yielding strain, has added to Guyana’s rice production efforts.
“We have a variety that came out a few months ago called the GRDB-16, that is a very high-yielding variety that we are doing. So, the traditional area we have been expanding,” the Agriculture Minister added.
Rice is the primary agricultural export for Guyana, and the Ministry is collaborating with various partners to boost production.
Mustapha emphasised the importance of diversifying markets and reducing dependence on any single region, citing ongoing efforts to explore opportunities beyond North America.
The exploration of new rice varieties and export markets aligns with the Government’s commitment to advancing the agricultural sector and ensuring sustainable development.
In 2023, the rice sector recorded an increase of seven per cent with a production of 653,706 metric tonnes. This signifies an increase of 43,111 metric tonnes in 2023 as compared to 610,595 in 2022. Guyana earned approximately $45.2 billion in exports in 2023, over $3 billion more than in 2022.
This year, $1.3 billion was budgeted to be expended by the GRDB to support increased production and productivity of the rice industry.
Mustapha explained that the Government would continue to implement various measures to bring immense relief to the farmers.
Farmers have also benefited from the distribution of seed paddy and availability of more farmlands to increase yields, and a number of facilities have been built and upgraded to aid in the nation’s rice production. (G1)