Paddy bugs pose big threat to rice crop in Berbice
– Govt. promises chemicals to help with spraying fields
Kaieteur News – Rice farmers in Berbice are worried about the threat posed by paddy bugs to their crop and the Ministry of Agriculture has promised to begin spraying rice fields today to address the issue.
Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, and Regional Chairman, David Armogan interacting with farmers at the meeting
The paddy bug infestation is severely affecting the farmers’ rice productivity throughout the region. To date, 68,000 acres of rice land are currently under cultivation in the region. Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, during a community meeting at Albion Community Ground on Sunday, noted 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,” Minister Mustapha told the Department of Public Information (DPI).
“I am hoping that we can control the bugs so that we can have a full harvest at the end of this crop,” the agriculture minister asserted. 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, farmers have acknowledged that the substantial investments and interventions made by the government over the years have resuscitated the rice industry, as well as enhanced rice production and their livelihoods. Due to these direct investments and policies, 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. Additionally, farmers will also have improved access to drainage and irrigation, as several outfalls will be cleared in the region, which will provide significant relief. Also present at the meeting were Regional Chairman, David Armogan; Regional Vice Chairman, Zamal Hussain and Director General of the Ministry, Madanlall Ramraj.
