Govt. announces $3B support for rice farmers

May 01, 2026 News

(Kaieteur News) – President Irfaan Ali on Thursday announced a $3B support package for rice farmers across Guyana.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of an event held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) he said that farmers who have “above 50 acres will get $10,000 (and) below 50 acres $15,000 per acre. That is more than $4B in injection to support our rice farmers.”

Addressing the farmers at the meeting held at the ACCC he said that government has been making huge investments in the rice industry since its return to office in 2020, working to ensure that drainage and irrigation is improved and investing in research and development to improve yields.

Govt. announces $3B support for rice farmers

President Irfaan Ali speaking to the farmers. (DPI Photo)

He said over the next five years there are plans to address the farm-to-market roads, and critical dams, which will allow farmers to continue their work under the different weather conditions and patterns. “These investments we have been making continuously and will make continue to make, because we want to ensure that we are able to get up, to bring down the cost of production, to improve productivity, and importantly, to allow you to be in an industry that would allow you to earn and to grow. Part of the strategy that we have over the next five years also include maximizing or optimizing the opportunity to earn from your land, and that is why we are doing some important work now in research and development and crop integration, to find ways in which we can optimize the value that you get from your land,” the head of state said.

He went on to explain that if a farmer has 10 acres of land, they are examining ways in which one acre can be converted to farm high value crops, which would allow the farmer to earn more. “Not only is the government doing the research but they are in the process of co investing by supporting the infrastructure, and building out the capital cost to allowing the supplementing of income rice farming and withstand the shocks farmers experience in the industry,” President Ali said.

The President explained that the reason for the meeting was to find ways in which to explore some of the global challenges faced. He reminded that in 2025 there was an oversupply in the market due to countries like India releasing rice they had stored during the pandemic. This severely affected the prices and government intervened by providing subsidies and fertilizer.

“From then to now, we have seen what is taking place with markets and the geopolitical situation around the world, whether it be Cuba, the situation in Venezuela and the Middle East. All of this, when you take it into totality, has had tremendous impact on the global system, and as you know, we are part of that global system, we cannot escape these global realities,” he added.

President Ali highlighted that currently massive increases have been observed in prices globally for things like fertilizer, petrol and shipping costs and they have been trying to mitigate it. However, the government he said has maxed out all of its tools available to do such.

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Arthur Chung Conference Centre, cash grants, Farmers, Rice farmers

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