@Former Member
In 1992, I wrote an article on the history of the rice industry in Guyana. It appeared in "Farm World" magazine published by the Alesei Group of Companies. My research showed that rice cultivation was introduced by the Dutch in Essequibo in the 18th century. The original seed paddy was imported from North Carolina. The Dutch used African slave labour for rice cultivation in their Essequibo plantations.
Later, after slavery ended, after East Indians had completed their indentured contracts and got their own land, rice cultivation accelerated and made Guyana a rice EXPORTING colony.
In a nutshell, Afro labour started the local rice industry; Indos produced a surplus for export.