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THE GUYANA rice industry has once again been greeted with good news as yet another export deal has beenclinched with Venezuela worth some US$48M, making it the third such consecutive agreement with our eastern Spanish-speaking neighbour.
Under the agreement Guyana is expected to export 30,000 tonnes of white rice and 50,000 tonnes of paddy at US$800 and US$480 per metric tonne, respectively, while making greater strides in improving its share in the Venezuela market.
This certainly is a big boost for the industry and all stakeholders and has come at an opportune time as Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud has noted.
The local rice industry has bounced back from a virtual state of collapse in the pre-1992 era with rice farmers abandoning the fields because of the poor treatment they  received under the previous government. During that period the number of rice-growing families drastically declined from 45,000 to 23,000. This was no doubt due to the poor drainage and irrigation, lack of technical and other forms of support, poor paddy prices etc. In fact, farmers were regularly mounting protests through their representative body the  Rice Producers Association (RPA) and on one occasion police dogs were unleashed on them.
We have come a far way from those days and particularly in recent years the rice industry has made impressive gains, despite many difficulties and challenges, of course not least adverse weather patterns.
But the impressive growth and expansion of the industry is not surprising because the government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and associated agencies, has been giving optimum support. Tremendous emphasis has been placed on drainage and irrigation, in addition to the provision of duty-free fuel,  agricultural machinery and spares and education and research.
So the success of the rice industry is not accidental or by chance. On the contrary it has come about because of deliberate policies and programmes buttressed by government’s unswerving commitment to the  industry.
It is also noteworthy that currently rice is again being harvested at Moco Moco in the Rupununi; another success story for the  industry. This is a follow up from last year when history was made with the first commercial harvest of rice in the community.
With respect to markets Mr. Persaud observed that in light of Guyana’s emphasis on and success with meeting international export standards and that there is now, more than ever, a need to diversify operations in the sector, rather than continue to supply regular markets and face difficulties when the dynamics in those markets change.

Source: Guyana Chronicle
The minister is very correct: there is definitely a need to search for new markets.