- under $300 per bag of paddy gov’t subsidies,
- Gov’t looking to invest in cluster programme to reduce cost of production
Agriculture Minister, Hon. Zulfikar Mustapha, on Friday spearheaded another round of distribution of subsidies to rice farmers in the Pomeroon–Supenaam Region, reaffirming the Government’s commitment to providing direct support to farmers.
While addressing farmers, Minister Mustapha underscored the Government’s track record of honouring its commitments.
“This Government has a proud record of delivering on every promise made to the people of this country,” he said, noting that tangible support continues to reach farmers in all regions.
The Minister highlighted the scale of financial assistance provided to rice farmers in 2025, explaining that “for the first and second crops of 2025, the Government has contributed $4.1 billion directly to rice farmers,” an intervention he said was critical in helping farmers remain viable amid falling world market prices.
Providing an update on cultivation in the region, Minister Mustapha noted that the Government was looking to bring additional acres under cultivation while implementing initiatives to lower the cost of production.
“In Region Two, we have approximately 32,000 acres available for cultivation, and about 30,000 acres have already been cultivated. We are looking to bring all the available acres under cultivation and develop additional lands for agricultural use,” he explained.
Minister Mustapha further outlined plans to strengthen infrastructure and services for rice farmers on the Essequibo Coast.
“We are also looking to rehabilitate the seed facility so that farmers on the Essequibo Coast can have a facility similar to what exists in other regions. Very soon, Guyana will also have its own fertiliser plant. This will reduce the cost of production. We are also looking to develop a storage facility in the region so farmers can store their paddy,” he noted.
Placing strong emphasis on collective development, the Minister revealed plans to establish a rice cluster in the region.
“We are working to initiate a rice cluster, where we identify areas with a high concentration of rice farmers and purchase machinery, so farmers do not have to rent equipment at high costs,” he said.
Minister Mustapha said that while efforts are ongoing to expand Guyana’s rice exports, farmers are also being encouraged to get into value-added production.
“We are working to get new markets for rice. I am currently in discussions with the Ambassador from Mexico to see if we can secure markets there. Apart from that, if you listened to the President’s speech at the launch of GuyExpo last year, he spoke about agro-processing. We have to work to incorporate and utilise rice for value-added products,” the Minister said.
