Rice farmers in West Berbice are expecting a bigger profit this crop as they have produced the biggest crop in years. Some 90 per cent of the crop there has already been harvested, with some farmers reaping more than five tonnes of paddy per hectare.
West Berbice is predominantly a rice growing area, and prior to this crop, the average yield per hectare was just below five tonnes.
Some farmers are currently preparing their fields for the 2014 first crop while others are ahead of the game; they have already started to plant. Already 20 per cent of cultivation has been completed.
Region Five Chairman Bindrabham Bisnauth said farmers can expect a bigger profit not only because they have produced more, but also because production cost was slashed. “Because of the intervention of the president and the minister of agriculture, all our farmers will benefit from a cheaper source of fertiliser.”
Some 5000 tonnes of urea was made available to farmers at almost half the price they used to pay.
The region has been working with the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary/ Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ ADA) and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to ensure there is full readiness for the next crop.
According to the chairman, the rains most likely would not adversely affect the planting, pointing out that given the expansion of cultivation, the administration cannot adequately provide water to all the farmers during this critical time.
Some farmers have been pumping water into their fields.
