In an effort to improve the quality of rice cultivated in Guyana, local farmers are actively engaging in discussions with their Brazilian counterparts to adopt their most effective best practices. This was confirmed with Guyana Standard today by Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha.
During an exclusive interview, the official responded to inquiries pertaining to reports from Brazil Direct Limited, which highlighted Guyana’s pursuit of “new” rice production technology.
The Agriculture Minister clarified that, “It is not new technology we are seeking.”
The official said, “What we have been doing is we have been facilitating the collaboration between farmers. You have (Brazilian) farmers sharing their experience with ours.”
While emphasizing that government has yet to import any new rice production technology, the minister did note the strategy employed based on the shared best practices. He said, “We do away with what’s not working and what’s working, we expand on it.”
Furthermore, he pointed out the existence of “field schools” spread across Guyana, where these beneficial practices derived from Brazilian farmers are disseminated with the aid of extension officers—a role played by professionals who actively propagate innovative farming techniques in conjunction with local farmers.
Brazil Direct’s recent report recently highlighted that a delegation from Guyana visited the Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Corporation of the State of Santa Catarina last month, which expressed a keen interest in adopting the technologies developed for irrigated rice farming. This was confirmed by Guyana’s Agriculture Minister who also noted that the representatives were from the Guyana Rice Millers Association and the Guyana Rice Development Board.
The report further quoted Valdir Colatto, the State’s Agricultural Secretary, who remarked, “This was an important visit that acknowledges the exceptional quality of products from Santa Catarina…The Guyanese representatives sought our technology and our production model, which is based on small acreages. It is yet another product from Santa Catarina poised to make a global impact.”
Colatto went on to express his hope for a long-lasting partnership, stating, “We hope that this partnership will be everlasting, and that we can bring Santa Catarina’s know-how to Guyana and Suriname. We’re big producers of rice, but over there, the technology used is from the 1980s and we have to bring 2023 to Guyana.”
It is important to note that Guyana currently maintains agricultural ties with Brazil and has been importing planting materials to supply several hinterland communities that often face crop-damaging floods. Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo recently corroborated this information during a recent press conference.
