Rice was first introduced during the eighteenth century by the Dutch Governor of Essequibo, Laurens Storm van Gravesande, in 1738, to supplement the diet of the slaves on the sugar estates (Ramgopal, 1964). With the arrival of indentured workers from East India, the demand for rice increased greatly. When the period of indenture ended, many of the East Indian workers chose to remain in Guyana and many acquired plots of land and began rice cultivation. By 1896 Guyana was producing more rice than was needed for local consumption and the first export shipment to Trinidad took place in that year. As shipments from Asia and the USA were curtailed during the First World War, Guyana expanded exports to the West Indies. The industry stagnated between the two World Wars. In 1939 a single marketing organisation for rice was established and by the end of the Second World War Guyana had secured a virtual monopoly of the West Indies market. Over the period 1946 to 1950 Guyana was producing an average of 61,181 tons of paddy and exporting 22,991 tons. In 1946 the British Guiana Rice Marketing Board (BGRMB) was established, it bought and sold all rice produced in the colony, in the same year the British Guiana Rice Producers Association (BGRPA) was established. By 1956 Guyana had been labeled the ‘bread basket of the Caribbean’ and by the time of independence in 1966 paddy production had reached 167,600 tons. Most of the information contained in the foregoing paragraphs was obtained from ‘Our Rice Industry’ by L. Ramgopal, 1964 and also a thesis proposal ‘Management of the Rice Industry in Guyana 1966-1997’ by W. Mohamed. Current Situation Rice represents a way of life for many of Guyana’s people and has deep roots in the history of our country. Rice is the second largest agricultural sub-sector in Guyana, second only to sugar. Guyana’s economy, and indeed stability, is heavily dependent on the health of its agricultural sector and by extension on the rice industry. Rice accounts for approximately 4% of Guyana’s total Gross Domestic Product (Guyana Bureau of Statistics, 2000). The rice industry therefore has a crucial role to play in the future development of Guyana. The domestic market for rice is important for the industry, however it is essentially an export-oriented industry with about 70% of Guyana’s total rice production being exported. This makes Guyana unique as most other rice exporting countries (with the exception of Suriname) only export a very small percentage of their production. Rice exports represent a significant proportion of our total exports (approx. 14%) and make a very significant contribution (approx. 11%) to our foreign exchange earnings. These earnings are vital to the economy especially in light of Guyana’s classification as a Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC). The industry incorporates many stakeholders, farmers, millers, exporters, consumers, input suppliers, transport providers and the public sector to name but a few. Rice production is carried out by private producers, the vast majority of whom are small-scale farmers with the average size of rice farms being 10 – 20 acres. It has been estimated that there are approximately 10,000 farm families that depend on rice for their livelihood. Guyana also has 105 privately owned rice mills. In addition to farm families, workers in the rice mills, exporters, input suppliers, etc also depend either directly or indirectly on the rice industry. Thus approximately 100,000 persons (14% of the entire population) rely on this vital industry.
The increases in production have not been entirely consistent however, due to the highly variable weather patterns with both droughts and floods associated with the El Niņo/La Niņa phenomenon. In 1999 total rice production was 365,469 metric tonnes with 251,519 metric tonnes (69%) being exported. The year 2000 saw a decline in both production and exports to 291,967 tonnes and 207,638 tonnes respectively. This resulted from a combination of factors. Heavy flooding occurred in early 2000. Global rice prices declined dramatically, in 1999 the average f.o.b. price per tonne of cargo rice received on the EU market was US$290, this declined to approximately US$245-US$215 in 2000 (compared with a price of US$412 that was achieved in 1996). This compounded the financial difficulties of the industry, as did the significant increase in oil prices that affected the highly mechanised production process. At the present time Guyana’s rice industry is undertaking a participatory strategic planning process to chart a course for the next 10 years. The industry foresees a bright future, but also acknowledges the challenges that must be faced in order to achieve this. The three main institutions in the Rice Industry are as follows. Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB)
Guyana Rice Producers Association (GRPA)
Guyana Rice Millers & Exporters Development Association (GRMEDA)
For more information about the Institutions... Rice production in Guyana involves the following husbandry practices. The process begins with seed germination and ends with harvesting of the grain. For more information on Production Practices... Quality control practices are necessary to reduce losses in quality of the grain both in the field and after harvesting. This is as a result of mechanical constraints undergone by the product, the action of pests (insects, rodents) and micro-organism (moulds), or the chemical changes produced within the grains under the effect of environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, duration of storage).
For more information on Quality Control practices... Processing of rice encompasses the entire sequence of post-harvest operations. The following are the stages of paddy processing:
For more information on Processing... Rice statistics are available on the Statistics - Guyana page. Rice research is done primarily at the Burma Rice Research Station where new varieties are tested for desirable traits. Work is currently being carried out on the breeding of additional blast resistant varieties of 'rustic' type rice as well as aromatic and salt tolerant varieties. The research areas are the following:
The Extension Division is responsible for the education of farmers in the improved and effective methods of rice production. The division is associated with the Guyana Rice Producers' Association in carrying out its tasks. In order to reach as many farmers as possible, the division utilizes all available communication channels which are the print, and electronic media, personal contact and demonstration plots. For more information on Extension Services... Guyana can market all its rice once the quality and type of rice which the market requires can be produced at a competitive price. The Rice Industry must continue to improve its overall efficiency in order to become internationally competitive. Farmers cost of production must be reduced through reduction of field costs, and the achievement of higher yields and improved quality. Millers/exporters must continue to improve on their drying, storage and milling operations and management skills. Marketing costs must be reduced through bulk loading and the use of larger vessels. In addition to seeking more markets for our rice, Guyana should be looking at investing in the value-added product market. Exporting rice as a commodity and not a product has resulted in tremendous losses of revenue. As such, the focus should be on promoting the following.
Information on the following markets is available: For general Marketing information... Guyana’s rice exportation takes place within an international trade environment that is defined by a variety of trade agreements; preferential, multilateral, regional and bilateral. Currently, the two most important arrangements for Guyana's rice exports are those governing trade with the European Union and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). For more information on External Trade Arrangements... This page was created and maintained by D. Tello, GRDB, 117 Cowan Street, Kingston, Georgetown, Guyana. If you have any questions or comments, please contact "grdb@gol.net.gy" |
Guyana’s rice production, and also exports, have
increased dramatically over the 1990’s. This has resulted from both an expansion of
the area cultivated and increases in yield. The area cultivated has more than doubled
(127,000 acres to 286,000 acres from 1990-2000), with yields increasing from 1.23 tonnes
per acre to 1.57 tonnes over this period. 