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‘Paddy bug wiped out $4B in rice cultivation in first crop’ – Mid-Year Report 

Sep 04, 2024 News

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Rice Development Board (GDRB) has estimated $4 billion in losses from paddy bugs, as a result of higher temperatures at the end of the first crop of 2024, according to the Ministry of Finance’s Mid-Year Report.

The $4billion loss GRDB estimated was a result of 10-25 percent paddy bug infestation in paddy delivered to mills.

“This was alarming when compared to an estimated infestation 10 percent in 2023,” the report said while highlighting that climate change has been a major factor given the increasing global temperatures.

The agriculture sector, which accounts for about 23 percent of the non-oil Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is most prone to climate related risks; however, key industries have invested to expand production to remain viable.

“In rice, we are advancing research in climate-smart varieties to respond to drought, flood and saline conditions,” the report stated.  Globally the challenges for rice production vary from insects, pests, diseases and weeds, which increased due to the shift of precipitation and temperature.

The Government noted in the report that chemical options are being used until research and development of appropriate biocontrol agents are completed for application during the second crop.

Meanwhile, according to a report issued by the Ministry of Agriculture on August 7, 2024, the GRDB reported that over 360,000 metric tonnes of rice have been produced. The GRDB is already targeting 750,000 tonnes by 2025.

Additionally, between 2020 and 2024 (first crop), the rice yield has increased from 5.9 tonnes per hectare to approximately 6.6 tonnes per hectare. This means that a farmer in 2020 harvested 38 bags of rice per acre and in 2024 is harvesting41 bags per acre.

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