“Desk riding” experts like Peeping Tom should ask rice farmers’ opinion about land leveling

Oct 28, 2009 Letters

---

DEAR EDITOR,
I refer to the heading of the Peeping Tom article in the Kaieteur News of October 11, 2009 “Modern Technology must be appropriate, cost effective and beneficial.” Nothing is wrong with that statement; I fully agree.
However, I disagree with the article itself. With the views expressed in the article and applied, we would still be driving Austin Cambridges, Morris Minors etc. and flying Dakotas.
It is a wrong idea that the coast is flat and level. It indeed looks flat but it is not level.
Height differences of 4-6 inches or more are common within a rice field in many areas, some farms over one foot!
The farmers’ solution is to create dams or levees in rice fields to keep water levels within a reasonable limit.
·    Small rice fields are inefficient to cultivate.
·    Dams decrease the net acreage planted.
·    Dams need maintenance or weeds and other pests will thrive (rats, paddy bugs); this decreases yields and paddy quality.
·    Uneven fields create when seeding, low germination rates and uneven germination results in uneven ripening.
·    Uneven ripening results in immature grains and/or overripe grains, resulting in low harvesting yields and later in the rice mill, low milling yields.
·    Uneven water levels promote the growth of weeds; low water levels promote the growth of grasses, high water level and other weeds such as duckweed.
·    Unleveled land also makes the land dry out unevenly. The low area will still be wet while the higher part is dry. This creates problems with harvesting; the combine harvesters might bog down in a wet soft spot and/or create deep tracks in the land, which must be repaired. It also prevents the combines from working on wheels instead of tracks. Harvesting on wheels cost much less than tracks. Tracks are expensive and wear out fast. Even if only 5% of the land is wet, it is necessary to use tracks unless we leave part of the field not harvested. Unfortunately we see this a lot.
·    Wet areas also make ploughing the land difficult. The most efficient way is to use the “ploughing disc harrow” (aka Rome Plough), but it can only work in reasonably dry soil. If part of the field is too wet, an inefficient disc plough has to be used. This doubles the time and decreases the quality of ploughing.
·    There are ways to control “red rice,” but they only work well in level land.
·    Level land also creates possibilities for No-Till planting or minimum tillage planting. No-Till planting can drop the cost price of paddy by 40%.
·    Uneven fields decrease the efficiency of fertilizing; fertilizer applied in water is lost.
·    Although the “Land of many waters” has an abundance of waters, that is only partly true. We often have too much and often not enough in the rice and cane belt. Ask a farmer who has to pump water if it is free, it costs a lot of money! Level land reduces the amount of water required.
·    There are more reasons why level land is “extremely” important, but I leave it here.
Experts worldwide have estimated that laser leveled land increase yields by 30%, but let’s be realistic and assume it is 15%. It is still worth it.
High cost is the largest problem that the rice industry in Guyana faces.

Two examples:

200 acres farm, with good yields and a decent paddy price. Yield: 40 bags / acre.
Price paid: G$3,500.00
Production: 8000 per bag @ G$3,500.00
Gross Income: G$28 million
Yield Increase: 15%
Gross Income: G$32.2 million.
Additional income: G$4.2 million.
The equipment would pay for itself in two crops!

200 acres farm, with mediocre yield and a low paddy price. Yield: 30 bags / acre.
Price paid: G$2,500.00 bag.
Production: 6000 bags a G$2,500.00
Gross Income: G$15 million

With a 15% yield increase, the income would be G$17,250,000.00 a difference of G$2.25 million. Not taking into consideration yet the cost price lowering effects as explained earlier.
There is no reason every farmer should have the equipment; it would not be cost effective for small farms. They should hire a contractor to do the leveling.
We estimate if every rice growing region has 10-15 units, within 5-10 years, most land would meet the 1 inch criteria.
Why such a large 5-10 years spread?
The equipment can only function in dry land which has been ploughed and harrowed; unfortunately we have no control over the climate.
“Desk riding” experts like Peeping Tom should talk to farmers who actually ride tractors and are riding out crisis after crisis, low prices, droughts, floods, high input cost, pests, diseases, non-paying millers etc.
Please ask rice farmers their opinion about land leveling before you spout nonsense about unproven technology not applicable for Guyana.
This criticism is for the sake of criticism.
In Pakistan 2500 units were distributed by the Government to farmers, something similar also done in India. At least they saw the light!
Also ask us why the equipment was more expensive than necessary.
Today all shipping lines only ship containerized cargo. An order for one tractor of special model from Brazil (JD 6415) means shipping one tractor in a 40ft. H.C. container, while there is room for three tractors.
This alone increased the cost of the tractor, approx. US$4,000. We absorbed 50% of that. The Laser leveling equipment was made in and shipped from Holland.
One unit, while the 20 ft. container could take three, was shipped. This increased the cost price, approx. US$2,000.
This total is G$1.2 million shipping inefficiency. This should be acceptable because of the
“experimental” nature of this project to use for the first time this equipment in small and mid-size farms.
A farmer does not have to purchase another tractor. Any tractor above 100 hp. with 4wd. will do, the leveling equipment is “plug and play.”
Laser Land leveling equipment could be supplied from approx. G$3.5 million up to 10 million (less tractor).
We selected extremely sturdy, well designed, but simple equipment, also the electronics and hydraulics are top of the line.
The G$3.5 million equipment would not last one season in Guyana conditions.
Next season we will try to bring the price down considerably, probably G$6-7 million for the land leveler and Laser control system.
We should not suffer from a NIH (Not Invented Here) syndrome, but be open for proven technology which is used worldwide, including Third World Countries, except Guyana up to now.
For one reason or the other we are running behind other countries in lowering cost price and increasing yields.
Anything that could assist to obtain this objective should be received with open arms and not criticized to dead before it is even utilized.
Renger van Dijk
Managing Director
General Equipment Guyana Ltd. (GENEQUIP)

---

---