GEORGETOWN – As the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) wraps up its 2018 first crop results from January to June, export volume has increased by 87 000 tonnes compared to the same period last year.
“When we look at the figures compared to the first half of 2017, we saw first that the total volume that has been exported is 290 000 tonnes which is 43 percent more than the 203 000 tonnes than was exported during the first half of 2017,” said general manager Nizam Hassan.
The increase has so far earned the country GYD$23.2Billion (US$111Million) this year. For the same period in 2017, the country earned GYD$16.1Billion (US$77Million).
Hassan credited the increase to the determination of rice producers and millers to meet production targets and more so Guyana’s access to new markets, particularly in Latin America.
“We’ve seen some significant increases in some of the blocks. For example, exports to Latin America jumped by 215 per cent. In the first half of 2017, we did 64 000 tonnes as against 202 000+ tonnes in the first half of 2018.”
Standing out for exports was Mexico and Cuba taking a total of 133 000 tonnes, 45 000 and 88 000 respectively. Both countries did not take during the January to June exports of 2017.
Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo facilitated access to the Mexico market.
This comes as approximately 99 per cent of the country’s rice lands cultivated having been harvested. For the first crop of 2018, approximately 508 000 tonnes of paddy has been produced equivalent to 330 000 tonnes of rice. (DPI)
