Back in the day, rice was king in Westmoreland. In the 1960s, ’70s and early ’80s, times were so good that the Subarans, a middle-income Indian family who owned rice paddies in the wetlands near Mylersfield, were able to raise their standard of living and put money aside for the future.

But they were not the only ones reaping success. Elsewhere in Westmoreland, some 230 acres of land at Shrewsbury and Roaring River yielded more than 500,000 pounds of rice in 1976 for farmers. In the 1980s, rice cultivation started in an area known as George’s Plain, covering approximately 1,800 acres.

Over in neighbouring St Elizabeth, Elim and the wetlands of the Black River Upper Morass enjoyed successful rice production in the south, with some 5,000 acres of paddy fields and another estimated 1,000 acres grown in other parts of the parish. A rice mill was set up at a place known as Charlie Gallan corner, close to Holland Bamboo during those days. In the 1970s, several different forms of long-grain rice were grown in paddy fields along St John’s Road, near Dovecot, in the Hellshire hills of St Catherine, as well as on a farm of some 3,000-acres at Amity Hall.

Senior citizen Benjamin Subaran who lives with his wife and grandchildren in Paul Island, Westmoreland, readily recalls the good old days in the rice fields.

“Planting rice was a nice thing to do, man. We used to enjoy it, it was a joyous time in the ’60s and ’70s,” he told the Observer. Subaran, who is approaching his 80th birthday, laughed heartily as he recalled using his stick while he worked in the fields, demonstrating the technique as he spoke.

“We used to plant the rice just for the family, but we used to sell to other people who wanted it. So, after a while, we started milling rice to sell in Kingston. It became a good business after a while,” Subaran explained.

The retired farmer told the Observer that others soon saw their success, and decided to get involved.

“Rice couldn’t done in dem days because plenty people started going into it,” he shared. “But we started getting old, and the young people never want to get involved so after a while, all the rice planting stop.”

Modern-day research shows that world production of rice has increased steadily from about 200 million tonnes of paddy rice in 1960 to 600 million tonnes in 2004. In 2004, the top three producers were China (26 per cent of world production), India (20 per cent), and Indonesia (nine per cent). The world’s largest three exporting countries are Thailand (26 per cent of world exports), Vietnam (15 per cent), and the United States (11 per cent), while the largest three importers are Indonesia (14 per cent), Bangladesh (four per cent), and Brazil (three per cent). China and India are the top two largest producers of rice globally, but both countries consume the majority of the rice produced domestically leaving little to be traded on the international market.

Back in Jamaica, many of the swampy areas in Westmoreland that were once used for rice cultivation now boast towering stalks of sugar cane that glisten in the warm sunlight.

“No much swamp no deh yah again, only cane field. I would love to see rice being planted again but the young people have to be willing to get them hands dirty,” said Subaran.

Over in Grange Hill, the Observer encountered 76-year-old David Johnson, whose rice mill is still operational today.

“Three years ago, rice dead out inna Westmoreland, but because people hear about the food crisis and the talk about cassava, nowadays you hear a lot of folks asking for rice seed to plant. From what I have been hearing in Westmoreland, farmers would rather grow rice right now than cassava,” said Johnson.

“In the 80s, the rice was so good that people used to tief rice at a place called Big Bridge. People used to plant rice in them backyard.” He mentioned other places such as New Hope, Broughton and Negril Spot, where rice production was all the rage in those days. “I would start planting rice now if I get the opportunity. People have left money here for me to find rice seeds for them. Some say they would give up growing sugar cane to start planting rice.”

Interestingly, Johnson told the Observer he knows of a few rice farmers who currently grow rice in Negril. They sometimes pay to use his rice mill, which is a device used to remove the rice from the pod in which it is encased. Unfortunately, he did not have any contact information for any of those persons.

“Up to last week I use the mill for them. Right now, it doesn’t pay a lot because not enough people have the rice seeds to plant, but if that was to change and the rice business in Jamaica pick back up, we would make more money,” said Johnson, who lives in Grange Hill with his son, who is also a farmer. “Rice a guh plant back down here, mi can feel it. If the government gets the seeds from abroad for the farmers, we can start back up again. So we hope for the best.”

Paul Subaran (Benjamin’s nephew), who operates the Westmoreland Community Development Company, a financial aid establishment in Savanna-la-mar, told the Observer he would be willing to assist farmers desirous of starting good rice farming projects in the parish.

“We are always open to good projects and if the farmers get the rice seeds and need the assistance, we could sit down and talk,” he said.

Zenton Bucknor, manager for the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) branch office in Llandilo, Westmoreland, said the reintroduction of rice cultivation in Westmoreland would significantly aid in boosting the economy of the parish.

“I would love to see rice being planted in Westmoreland again especially since we are, traditionally, a rice-growing parish and based on the current state of food security in Jamaica,” Bucknor told the Observer in a phone interview. “We are awaiting word from the head office because they should be doing up some policies.”

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Chris Tufton has said that the government is in talks with foreign-based entities concerning the viability of rice cultivation in Jamaica.

“The discussions are very preliminary, but we are definitely looking into the viability of regrowing rice locally. We are taking a very holistic approach at producing foods for local consumption but a lot depends on the feasibility,” Tufton announced late last month.

Additionally, the agriculture ministry is reportedly in the process of packaging a proposal outlining the former rice growing areas in Jamaica. Local rice production, the minister believes, would be enough to satisfy local consumption and substitute corn in the production of feedstock for the livestock industry.