Over $201M in subsidies for 560 Region 3 rice farmers

…as Government pursues new export markets

Hundreds of rice farmers from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) on Tuesday received their subsidy from the Government at the National Track and Field Centre in Leonora. The Region Three distribution is part of a nationwide $3 billion subsidy programme for rice farmers. This initiative is in keeping with a commitment made by President Dr Irfaan Ali in April following consultations with farmers across the country.

From those consultations, it was agreed that rice farmers cultivating 50 acres or less will receive $15,000 per acre, while those cultivating more than 50 acres will receive $10,000 per acre. More than 5100 rice farmers cultivating over 235,000 acres of rice across Guyana are set to benefit. The initiative was introduced as a targeted intervention to support rice producers as the industry continues to face increasing global challenges affecting agricultural production, input costs and international markets. In Region Three, 560 rice farmers cultivating a combined 15,636 acres are expected to benefit from more than $201 million in relief.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said the Government had already commenced the distribution in Region Two, where more than 1300 farmers benefited.
“…We started this programme last Saturday in Region Two. His Excellency, the President, was there himself, and we rolled out the programme where approximately 1301 farmers benefited, and we paid out $403,149,360 in Region Two. In Region Three over the next few hours, the staff will be here throughout the day so that people who come late can collect their cheques. We have 560 farmers listed who cultivated 15,636 acres of land during the last crop, and we will be paying out $201,696,055 in Region Three.” According to the Minister, the total cost of the programme is $2.763 billion.
“That is direct cash to you, the farmers, which you can utilise. As the Minister within the Ministry said earlier, those cultivating 50 acres or less will receive $15,000 per acre, while those cultivating more than 50 acres will receive $10,000 per acre,” he said, adding that the initiative will help reduce farmers’ production costs while providing them with additional disposable income.
He pointed out that farmers also have a role to play in lowering production costs, noting that land rental and drainage and irrigation (D&I) charges remain among the industry’s major expenses. He said the Government reversed the increases in those charges after taking office in 2020, restoring them to their previous rates.
“This will help to reduce production costs, and we are working with you. Farmers also have to play their part because, when we travel around the country, one of the main production costs is land rental and D&I charges. When we came into Government in 2020, we reversed all the increases that were imposed by the APNU+AFC Administration. We brought the charges back to where they were. For example, in the MMA Scheme, land rental and D&I charges were $3,500 per acre when we were previously in Government. When the APNU+AFC got into office, they increased it to $15,000.”

Growing agriculture industry
The outlook for Guyana’s rice industry is also promising, as Mustapha revealed that the Government is pursuing new export markets, including Mexico, Haiti, Cuba and other CARICOM countries.
“We have been talking to Mexico. We have been discussing opportunities with Haiti. There will be new opportunities in Cuba, and we are still looking within the CARICOM region so that we can secure more markets.” He also announced a series of infrastructure projects for Region Three aimed at further supporting rice farmers.
“In the coming months, you will see massive infrastructure development in Region Three. A number of new farm-to-market roads will be built. We know for a fact that we have to modernise the industry. We are also looking to introduce drone technology to help small-scale farmers because they are experiencing serious labour shortages. We want to modernise the sector by using drones to apply fertiliser. We are also encouraging farmers to set aside one or two acres of their land to diversify production so that we can work with them to create integrated farming systems.”