Rice Fest attracts hundreds

Nov 09, 2008 News

– event to become annual feature
Rice Fest 2008 captured the attention of many curious Guyanese, as hundreds turned up at the exhibition of the different grains of rice held at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara yesterday.
Rice Fest is being celebrated on the occasion of the centenary of rice being exported from this country, which has been planting that crop for some 250 years.

A section of the crowd

The event, which saw performances by the Apsara Dance Troupe, Dubraj Tassa Troupe and Girlie Persaud, was organized by a number of private entities, among them Guytrac and Alesie Rice Company, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Children were excitedly occupied with the presence of cartoon characters such as Spongebob, Dora and others. There were the various booths highlighting Guyana’s rice sector.
In his address to the gathering, Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud noted that Guyana’s rice industry is considered to be one of the most resilient in the rice producing world.

The Aspara Dance Troupe entertains the audience

“We are committed as a Government and certainly as a people to ensuring that our rice industry remains very strong, so that in the coming 100 years, we can all, just like your great, great grandparents can, come back right here and celebrate the 200th anniversary of us being a rice exporting nation,” Minister Persaud said.
He encouraged Guyanese to play their part in making not only the rice industry, but the agricultural sector a vibrant one. Persaud noted that, due to the significance of the event, Rice Fest will be hosted annually. General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board, Jagnarine Singh, noted that Guyanese should be grateful to their foreparents, for they were the ones to make rice a significant pillar of Guyana’s economy.
Managing Director of the Rice Fest, Leonard Gildarie, said that over the years farmers have lost a lot of money, and the event is aimed at ‘giving back’ to them.