GEORGETOWN, Guyana, (CMC) – Guyana is reporting increased production in rice, corn, and soya this year and is intent on expanding production in the new year.

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, said that with the production of 725,282 metric tonnes of rice this year, Guyana has surpassed its target and achieved a record-breaking milestone in its agriculture sector.

“I want to say that this is a record-breaking production since the introduction of rice production in our country. We have increased yield from 5.7 tonnes in 2020 to 6.6 tonnes per hectare in 2024,” he told reporters.

In 2024, Guyana exported 425,490 metric tonnes of rice and by-products to 30 countries, totalling $254 million US and Mustpapha said that the country has also secured new export markets, further boosting its agricultural profile.

Mustapha said that over the past four years, rice production has seen a steady increase.

In 2021, Guyana produced a total of 569,789 metric tonnes of rice. The amount increased in 2022 to 610,595 tonnes and in 2023, 653,706 metric tonnes of rice was harvested.

The staggering increase in rice production was a result of the introduction of four new rice varieties over the past four years.

“For the year 2024 we have developed the new GRD 18 with a yield potential of seven to nine tons per hectare. And this was launched in October of 2024. Since 2020 we have released three other varieties including GRDB 16, GRDB 18 and the Bio-fortified rice, which is GRDB 17,” Mustapha said.

All of the new rice varieties have a yield potential between seven to nine tonnes per hectare.

The attribution of increased rice production also includes the improvement in the capacity of the various seed-paddy facilities throughout the country.

Mustapha said that the tremendous improvement reflects the government’s commitment to boosting agricultural production in the country, noting that in 2024, the ministry was allocated a sum of $97.6 billion GUY (One Guyana dollar= $0.004 cents US) to help improve efficiency and the management of its rice sector.

Meanwhile, Guyanese farmers cultivated 12,000 acres of corn and soya in 2024 with Mustapha saying that while this is a remarkable accomplishment, the goal is to expand production in 2025.

“We are hoping by next year that this will be increased to 25,000 acres twice annually with a potential for further expansion because this is the amount we need to be self-sufficient.”

He said to become self-sufficient, the government invested significantly in the Tacama, Savannah area, along the Berbice River, where more than 40 kilometres of road have been constructed.

An 18,000-tonne silo has also been erected and a conveying system consisting of a wharf is currently under construction and that this will ensure that corn and soya are effectively transferred onto ships for export markets abroad.

“We are also working aggressively to be self-sufficient by the end of next year to produce all our black-eyed and red beans. As I am speaking now, works are ongoing on roads in the Kimbia area [Region Ten] where we are working on a private-public partnership to harvest those beans,” Mustaphan said.

He said 2,000 acres of land have already been earmarked for this mega project and that land preparation and the application of limestone have already been completed and 32 kilometres of road have been constructed so far.

Like corn and soya, a silo with a storage capacity of 15,000-tonne has also been procured for the black-eyed and red beans. With 200 hectares of beans about to be sowed, Mustapha said he expects the crop will be ready for harvest as early as March of 2025.