Mahaicony rice farmers complain of irrigation issues, El Niño effects

…construction of more canals to cushion effects imminent – Mustapha

Drainage and irrigation works are ongoing in communities along the Mahaicony River and surrounding areas in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) to cushion the effects of the prolonged dry season on rice cultivation on the area.
On Saturday, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha met with farmers in the area at Green Mill, Mahaicony Branch Road.
During the meeting, farmers expressed concerns about the Mahaicony River’s saline water intrusion, freshwater availability and excavation works to be done.
In response, Mustapha committed to ensuring the famers have an adequate supply of irrigation water in a week’s time, among other mechanisms.
This includes the installation of several pumps to improve access to water and the provision of fresh water, which will be delivered on a daily basis to the farmers, temporary.

“Two days, maximum three days, this system over here will work, Lionel will take a pump and we’ll get water. The canal that you talk about behind you, the cross canal, works commence today. We’ll look at other mechanisms to see how we can modify the system so people can get water over this side…We have to monitor it. The main thing is that the creeks are running salt. We will look at that. We will put all systems in place to get it done.”
He also disclosed that Regions Five and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) will benefit from the construction of canals, and the designs are currently being finalised by a consultancy team, contracted by the Ministry.
The Minister pointed out that Government is working to ensure that procedures are in place to deliver the canals by the stipulated deadline in February 2024, given that the extended dry period is expected to last until the first quarter of 2024.
“These will be canals that will help us when we have rainfall and excessive water in the system to drain the system without putting pressure on our drainage now that we have, draining our cultivation areas, drainage that we are draining our housing areas…We’ll have these canals run directly to the Atlantic and also I asked the consultants and the people who are working on the design, last week I had a meeting with them and they promise also that they will make it in a kind of way, that we can store water so that when we have prolong dry period like these we can also use it to have irrigation,” Mustapha told the gathering of farmers.
Additionally, some farmers, who requested excavation works to be conducted, were informed that a machine would be made available today.

Salinity tests
Further, to keep an eye on the river’s salinity levels, the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) was assigned to conduct four salinity tests every day.
Mustapha also suggested that a rotation system can also be implemented to ensure all the farmers are provided with irrigation. In addition, the situation with the farmers will be constantly monitored by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), GRDB, and the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary-Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA).
In a few weeks, Mustapha and his technical team will return to the area to ensure the systems installed are operating well and giving the farmers access to enough water.
Some 190,000 acres of land have already been prepared around the country. Lands in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) to Six, along with Mahaicony and parts of the Berbice-Corentyne were mostly affected by the El Nino phenomenon.

Rice production
During the re-certification of the Guyana Rice Development Board’s (GRDB) Central Laboratory on November 29, Mustapha disclosed that notwithstanding the difficulties caused by El Nino, Guyana’s rice output in 2023 exceeded the goals that were set and the previous year’s achievements.
The Minister noted that the rice industry has shown remarkable resilience in the face of hardship, and the amount of work put into preventing El Nino and lessening its effects has demonstrated Government’s dedication to using sustainable farming methods.
“There have been a number of achievements in the rice industry for infrastructure development, which include the construction of five drying floors at a cost of 79.1 million, the seed clearer and dryer at Black Bush Polder (Region Six) at a cost of 46 million, the research and development of three laboratories at a cost of 48 million, two new varieties, GRDB 16 and the bio-fortified (zinc).”
With regards to assistance to farmers and millers, Minister Mustapha said, “we have given flood relief assistance to 1894 farmers who received a total of $1,994,811,521, seed paddy assistance to farmers at a total of $275,000,000, a reduction in commission effective April 1, 2022, a reduction of commission from US$8 to US$6 per MT amounting to $1,019,011,920 going into the farmers pockets.”
“We also gave fertiliser assistance to farmers at a total of $871,079,200, the purchase of five cannon jacto sprayers for the rice industry at $6.6 million, and a reduction in commission effective March 4, 2023. Millers did not pay any commission for the first crop of 2023, and they will pay farmers at least $4000 per bag of paddy.”
By 2025, he said, some “50,000 bags of seeds will be produced, with two new varieties of high-yielding and aromatic varieties being released”.
Rice production is also expected to increase to 847,000 tonnes next year.
The Minister was joined by the Chairman of NDIA, Lionel Wordsworth, CEO of Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), Dr Dwight Walrond, Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal, other heads of agencies and representatives of GRDB and MMA-ADA.