By Staff Writer
With rice being a major foreign exchange earner for Guyana, the Agriculture Ministry, through the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), has been working with rice farmers across the country, more specifically, those who are considered low-yielders, to improve their production level.
Although the GRDB has, over the years, engineered and introduced new and improved varieties of rice that offer higher yields per acre, a small percentage of the country’s farmers continue to see comparatively low yields, some as low as 20 bags per acre.
While signaling the government’s goal of doubling Guyana’s current rice production levels by 2025, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha recently disclosed that the ministry through GRDB had commenced working with a batch of those low-yielding farmers to improve their production.
Minister Mustapha further stated that the GRDB was tasked with developing a database with low-yielding farmers across the country so that they can be given the help that they need.
GRDB’s Deputy General Manager, Kuldip Ragnauth while giving an update on the project, said that the implementation of the ‘6-Points’ practice to the farmers has played a significant role in improving farmers’ yields.
“…We want our farmers to stay in rice so we’ve been encouraging the use of what we call the ‘6-Points’ practice which is also known as GRDB’s Improved Management Practices. The results from this initiative is showing farmers that as long as they can adopt these practices; once they can grow their rice scientifically using the improved varieties and having the management of it being done in the right way, this will allow these varieties to realize their real potential,” Mr. Ragnauth said.
Initially, 34 farmers from Regions Two, Three, Five, and Six were identified for the first phase of the project, most of whom have since reported significantly higher yields. The Board has already commenced working with additional farmers to ensure they too benefit from improved yields.
