THE local rice industry is heading in the direction to surpass its production and export targets for the year, with approximately one more week of harvesting remaining for the second crop. According to Deputy General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Mr. Ricky Ramraj, in yesterday’s telephone interview with the Guyana Chronicle, while the target for this crop is 206,895 tonnes, approximately 206,263 tonnes have been produced as at the end of November.

He added that there is still about five or six percent of the rice crop yet to be harvested; and once this is completed, the target will definitely be surpassed.

Already, the year’s target of 412,225 tonnes has been exceeded, as 417,849 tonnes have been produced for the year to date.
In a recent interview with the state media, Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy had mentioned that production figures for the year to date had represented the highest amount ever recorded in the history of rice production in Guyana.

Ramraj also projected that by the end of this second crop, approximately 210,000 tonnes of rice would have been produced, thereby approximating the total production of rice for 2012 at 420,000 tonnes.

He also pointed out that 150,300 tonnes had been targeted for export for the first crop, but 143,674 tonnes were actually exported, earning revenues of US$84,546,000. However, for the current crop, 157,408 tonnes have already been exported, and Ramraj emphasised that the target of 166,800 tonnes will be achieved by the end of the crop.

To date, the industry has earned US$91,429,000 in exports from this crop.

Ramraj said it was projected that the industry would earn US$164,666,000 in exports for the year, but it has in fact earned US$175,998,000 as at current date.

He said land preparation is well underway for the first crop of 2013, wherein an even bigger first crop is expected.