GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Jul 22, CMC – The Guyana government says it will begin spraying rice fields in Region Six on Monday as it seeks to address the paddy bug infestation that is severely affecting rice production.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, speaking at a community meeting at Albion on Sunday, said that the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) will work collaboratively with the farmers to address the issue.
“Region Six is a very important rice-producing area for us. As a result of that, there were several proposals that the farmers made. But we have looked at the most realistic proposal. That proposal is to help them with the chemicals to spray the areas where the bugs are present,” Mustapha said.
Currently there are 68,000 acres of land under rice cultivation in Region Six and Mustapha said “I am hoping that we can control the bugs so that we can have a full harvest at the end of this crop”
The authorities said a paddy bug committee has been set up to effectively monitor the situation in Region Six and a comprehensive report will be provided daily to the minister.
The report will indicate if further interventions need to be made relating to the insect situation.
Meanwhile, rice farmers are optimistic that they will surpass this year’s rice production target of 710,000 tonnes as compared to 653,000 tonnes last year.
CMC/gt/ir/2024