Rice production surpasses 600,000 tonnes with 14% of crop still to be harvested.

Georgetown : Guyana’s rice industry continues to maintain its record-breaking performance, with two records being broken this month; exportation and production. With 86% of the current crop harvested, rice production has exceeded 600,000 tonnes, a huge increase from last year’s production of 535,000 tonnes.

The 2013 production figure was a 27 percent increase over the 2012 record of 423,000 tonnes.

Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy confirmed today that the 600,000-tonne record has been achieved and the industry is on target to surpass exportation of 500,000 in 2014, which was anticipated to be the amount of rice produced for the year.

Rice, one of the main staples internationally, has been a highly productive crop in Guyana with 2013 and 2012 being among the highest yielding years. Rice yield for 2013 surpassed the targeted production of 413,031 tonnes, by 28.17 percent or 116,353 tonnes.

More than 200,000 acres of land was under cultivation in 2013, making it also the first time, cultivation acreage exceeded 200,000. Yield overall was five tonnes per hectare again, for the first time in Guyana’s history. In 2010, the yield was about four tonnes per hectare. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, yield was between two and three tonnes per hectare.

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Meanwhile, as of last Tuesday, rice export exceeded 401,000 tonnes. Minister Ramsammy said there are signed contracts for 137,000 tonnes more to be exported by the end of the year.

The export in October will exceed 70,000 tonnes which will be the highest single export month, he said.

Guyana’s rice export for 2013 amounted to about 395,000 tonnes. Approximately, 58 per cent of which was exported to Venezuela with other significant buyers being Europe, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean countries.

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