Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha
Guyana is importing chemicals from India to address the paddy bug infestation currently affecting a large number of farmers in Berbice.
These chemicals are expected to arrive within 8 to 9 weeks and are being sourced from the company, Rainbow Chemical.
Deputy Registrar of the Pesticides and Toxic Chemicals Control Board, Suresh Amichand, made this announcement to farmers during a recent visit to Region Six (East Berbice – Corentyne) by members of the Agriculture Ministry.
“One of the largest companies in India, Rainbow Chemical have registered four new combo chemicals with us. The active ingredients are different from the ones we have now so those chemicals are registered. The importer is going to start to import them so in a couple of months when the ships reach, we will have those chemicals here,” Amichand told the gathering.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha acknowledged Amichand’s approach to eliminate the threat.
However, he noted that in the meantime until the new chemicals arrive, the ministry will have to use what it currently has to fight the infestation.
“The crops are at a different stage now; some are flowering and some are growing and now is the time that the bugs will want to migrate to go into the field, we have to prepare for the big invasion so I am suggesting that we take action now.”
In this regard, he revealed that there will be swift movement to start the insecticides spraying on the rice lands and a committee has been setup to keep track of this.
“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 hopefully, we can control the bugs.”
He added, “I have asked the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) to work along with the farmers, we have setup a paddy bug committee in Region Six which will monitor it and give me daily report of what happened. I am hoping that we will be able to control the bugs so that we can have full harvest.
“The report from the newly formed Paddy Bug committee will indicate if further interventions need to be made relating to the situation.
Meanwhile, farmers have acknowledged that the substantial investments and interventions made by the government over the years to help the rice industry.
In fact, 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.
To date, 68,000 acres of rice land are currently under cultivation in the region and paddy bugs infestation are posing a grave threat to the farms.
