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-but yields are higher and target could still be met, Seeraj
General Secretary of the Guyana Rice Producers Association (RPA), Dharamkumar Seeraj, told the Guyana Chronicle in an invited comment, that the situation with regard to rice is critical in Regions Two (Pomeroon/ Supenaam), Three (Essequibo Islands/ West Demerara) and Four (Demerara/ Mahaica). Regions Five (Mahaica/ Berbice) and Six (East Berbice/ Corentyne) are affected to a lesser extent, since farmers there planted their fields later than the other regions and these are not ready for harvesting.
However, the RPA General Secretary maintained his optimism that Guyana will reach its target for 4.4 million bags of paddy this crop.
“We have a higher yield this year, so while we will lose some acreage, the yield is higher, so we will reach out target,” he said.
The acreage sown in the regions was 35,500 in Region Two; 14,000 in Region Three; 6,000 in Region Four; over 70,000 in Region Five; and 47,000 in Region Six.

Regional Status
Seeraj explained that in Region Two, there are efficient drainage systems in place, but the adverse weather conditions are not permitting harvesting.
“There is(sic) about 18,000 acres ready, but the weather is not allowing it,” he said.
According to him, harvesting is also compounded by the condition of the dams, which are deteriorating.
He said, “The dams are very bad.”
There is a similar situation in Region Three, with the dams not being properly prepared because of the weather, which prevents paddy from getting out of the fields.
“In Region Four we have a lot of paddy falling down because they have been under water for too long, especially in the Cane Grove area,” Seeraj said.
He acknowledged the suffering of the farmers, but noted that there is a limit to what can be done, with the excessive rainfalls due to La Nina and the high tides that compound flooding situations.
In Region Five, according to him, the affected areas are mostly in the riverine areas, such as the Mahaica Creek,where there is approximately 4,000 acres of rice to be harvested.
“Because of the lateness of the crop in Region Five, about 70 per cent of farmers’ fields will not be affected, since they are between 50 and 70 days old. The rice over 70 days old will be a problem where there are flooding conditions,” Seeraj said.
He pointed out that only about 7,000 acres of rice in Region Six falls over 70 days old.
Seeraj said, “Generally, the situation for harvesting is more difficult for Regions Two, Three and Four. Regions Five and Six only have pockets where the rice will be affected.”
Seeraj added that over the weeks, there has been an improvement in the prices farmers are receiving for their paddy, the maximum initially being $4,000 per bag, and is now $4,200.
He maintained too that the supply to traditional and new markets, which includes Venezuela, is not expected to be affected.
“We had challenges with the crop last year when we were battling a drought, but still managed to come through with record production levels. We are optimistic for this crop,” he posited.

Source: Guyana Chronicle