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GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Jan 22 2016 – The Guyana government is advising rice farmers to delay sowing their fields as the dry season begins to take effect.
“If you haven’t planted already, don’t plant now because you wouldn’t get enough water, and we are trying to have enough water to save the crop that is already planted,” said Agriculture Minister Noel Holder.
Holder said that while some farmers have already planted as much as 90 percent of their fields, “what we don’t want is that extra 10 percent to be planted because there is no water”.
He said once the current crops continue as scheduled, then harvesting will be done in March or April, and lands will then be prepared to take advantage of the May/ June rains.
He said the challenge in the future, for the rice crop is whether the anticipated rains are late. “If they come later, you can expect some ramifications for harvesting,” he said.
The Ministry of Agriculture said it is working with other agencies such as the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), and the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to monitor the areas hardest hit by the current dry weather conditions.
