Suriname concerned about possible health risks of Guyana’s paddy seeds

Sep 22, 2015 News

The Government of Suriname and rice farmers are at odds over the importation of paddy seeds from Guyana.
According to Soeresh Algoe, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, the illegal import of paddy seeds from is an enormous risk to the rice crops of Suriname.

Suriname is raising concerns about possible disease from paddy seeds being imported from Guyana.

A report in the online Waterkant news website yesterday said that more than half of all farmers have also used the seed to plant rice in Nickerie.
Nickerie is a border area to Guyana. This may raise risks of plant diseases, the minister stressed.
According to the Times of Suriname, there are regulations that govern the importation of seeds.
Authorities there have to check that there are no diseases.
The Minister reportedly argued that Suriname has a good quality of paddy seeds and there is no need therefore to import from Guyana.
However, according to the Waterkant article, the rice farmers in Suriname are disagreeing. They are arguing that the rice varieties from Guyana are more resistant to disease.
The revenues would certainly be twice as high.
Minister Algoe admits that the varieties developed in Suriname yield less.
The report said that the Government of Suriname is investigating the imports.