BENGAL, CORENTYNE – The second rice crop for Region Six — East Berbice/ Corentyne — the autumn crop, is now under cultivation.President of the Guyana Rice Producers Association, Leekha Rambrich, said cultivation is moving at rather a slow pace as a result of the system of payment in the Black Bush Polder and Number Fifty-Two/Seventy-Four areas.He said that, in some cases, farmers are not paid for their paddy. Last Wednesday, rice farmers, in collaboration with the Rice Producers Association, staged a picketing exercise.The demonstration was held in front of the Mahaicony Rice Limited office at Joanna, in Black Bush Polder.“This was because of non-payment of the millers. We had to resort to blocking the gate with trailers, forcing the company to pay some of the cheques that were dishonoured by the bank. For more than three weeks these cheques were dishonoured,” Rambrich said.Efforts to obtain a comment from representatives of the Mahaicony Rice Limited office were futile.According to Rambrich, on Thursday, the General Manager of the Mahaicony Rice Limited, Barton Brandon, visited the area and met with the affected farmers.“He agreed that some of the cheques that were earlier dishonoured would be paid the said day. About 25 farmers benefited from that. He also made an arrangement with the Rice Producers’ Association for the farmers who never received any payments from the company to be given cheques the next day — Friday.“Some of them did receive their cheques, but we were made to understand that those farmers had a problem when they went to the bank. The matter is expected to be resolved today.”The other arrangement put in place is for all farmers to be paid by Wednesday. “But with the way things stand at present, farmers are anticipating another demonstration on Wednesday.”Meanwhile, the inclement weather is wreaking havoc on this second crop, and dams are in a deplorable state.The President of the Guyana Rice Producers’ Association is of the view that this in itself would significantly impact on the crop.According to him, farmers are experiencing a difficult time gaining access to their fields. It is anticipated that for this autumn crop the cost of production would be higher. Should the weather change, then farmers may be able to break the record of the first crop.This year, the first crop — the spring crop for Region Six — was better than that of 2007. In 2007, the yield for the spring crop was 27 bags per acre,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, and this year it has increased to 30 bags.For that, a number of factors, including new technology, such as the six-point practice now being used, were cited.The six-point practice allows for six different ways to encourage higher yields to be used simultaneously. But it all depends on the timing in applying fertilizer, chemicals and water.The use of potash also assists greatly as well.Another factor is that farmers are now advised to dry their fields before applying fertilizer.In this way the plants absorb 80 percent of the nourishment, as against when the field is wet and so only 20 to 30 percent is absorbed. The remainder evaporates.The farmers’ field school is also another plus for the industry. For the past six seasons, this has been held throughout the rice cultivating areas by the Guyana Rice Development Board, in collaboration with the Rice Producers Association.He stated that farmers in the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary area in Region Five had intended to cultivate more than 100,000 acres for this autumn crop.Cultivation of this is still in process. He explained that lands can still be cultivated up until the end of July.Across in Region Six, 31,000 areas were planted for the spring crop, and for this autumn crop 43,000 acres were targeted.Last year, the figure for the spring crop was 28,900 acres in East Berbice/Corentyne.It was estimated that 38,000 acres would have been planted for the spring crop, but Region Six fell short of the target.Generally, East Berbice/Corentyne has a total of 70,000 acres of rice land for cultivation, but due to poor drainage and irrigation, just 42,000 acres have been used in the past.For the past couple of years, Region Six was producing the highest. Region Five has that capacity, since 110,000 acres of land is available there for rice cultivation.Mr. Rambrich is optimistic that, with the prices now offered, farmers may up their game. Some rice millers on the Corentyne are offering $4,380 per bag of paddy.In Black Bush Polder they are paying $4,500. But many farmers end up selling the paddy to those who pay the lower price, since the system of payment in Black Bush Polder is slower.Meanwhile, several contributing factors may change the situation generally for rice farmers this autumn crop.Against this backdrop, Rambrich is advising all farmers not to over-invest in machinery and the like for the crop, or they may end up in the situation they were in in 1994, when Government had to intervene and bail some of the farmers out of debt.
