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Guyana’s rice industry expanded by 13.9% – half year report
(Kaieteur News) – Guyana’s rice industry has expanded by 13.9 per cent in the first half of 2025, according to the half-year report released recently by the Bank of Guyana.
This equates to a total of 410,194.0 tonnes in comparison to 362,029.5 tonnes in 2024. “In the first half of the year, 96,715 hectares were sown, an increase of 11,742 hectares or 13.8 per cent when compared to one year prior. Hectares harvested amounted to 95,788 hectares, an increase of 13.2 per cent when compared to end-June 2024,” the report said.
The performance of the sector is on account of larger numbers of acres being cultivated alongside greater productivity from the high yielding rice varieties, distribution of fertiliser and availability inputs as these were VAT exempted by the government.
The finance ministry had reported that Guyana’s rice industry was expected to grow by some 12.4 per cent this year.
The projected growth was expected despite the glut in the world market and the depressingly low prices offered by local millers to rice farmers here this crop.
Local rice farmers have been lamenting what they said are the ridiculously low prices being offered to them for their paddy, much of which is left to spoil.
Back in September, rice farmers in Essequibo held a massive protest in Anna Regina over the prices being offered for the paddy, along with the huge amounts that have been left to spoil on their hands.
In October, Kaieteur News spoke with rice farmers in Mahaicony, who relayed that they were pressing ahead with their harvests, even as they await the long-promised talks with government officials over the crisis level prices being offered by millers for this crop.
Farmer Roopnarine Etwaroo told this publication that despite multiple appeals, there has been no direct engagement with government representatives.
“We’re still waiting on that appointment to meet with the minister,” Etwaroo said. “Our farmers are harvesting, yes — but at $2,800 a bag, it’s below the break-even point. We simply can’t sustain this.”
Farmers said the current price represents a sharp fall from the $4,000 per bag earned last crop, even after factoring in the government’s previous subsidy. Many warned that if the situation persists, small rice farmers could go under.
Despite these concerns, the minister assured farmers that the government will support them to ensure the sustainability of the industry.
Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha at a meeting in October with rice farmers along the Essequibo Coast, highlighted the significant progress being made in rice production under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration.
Mustapha, acknowledging that there are global challenges affecting rice, told farmers that an influx from major producers, has led to a dip in international prices. However, he disclosed that he has been having engagements with millers to secure a better price for paddy.
The minister said the government will soon commence construction of a $2 billion modern drying and storage facility at Onderneeming on the Essequibo Coast. The facility, he noted, will have the capacity to accommodate a significant amount of paddy, and will significantly reduce post-harvest losses while improving quality control and price competitiveness.
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