Guyana is on track to break another rice production record in 2026, with output already passing the 800,000‑tonne mark even before the year’s halfway point, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has announced.
Addressing rice farmers in Region Two at the Regional Democratic Council compound on Tuesday, Minister Mustapha noted that production has climbed from approximately 500,000 tonnes in 2020 to 810,000 tonnes in 2025, underscoring the sector’s rapid growth.
“Since the inception of rice growing and rice planting in our country, we have now crossed the 800,000 tonne mark,” he added.
The minister also noted that the achievement came despite difficult weather conditions that affected some farmers during recent cropping periods.
He explained that while the acreage under cultivation has not increased significantly, improvements in productivity and yields have helped drive higher production levels.
“This crop we are planting, approximately 232,000 acres, not much from the other crops, but we have seen the yield has increased, we have better seed paddy varieties, we have better management of the system,” he noted.
Minister Mustapha also credited investments in drainage and irrigation systems, farm-to-market roads, high-yielding seed varieties and increased fertiliser support for helping to strengthen the rice industry.
In 2025, annual production was projected to reach 810,000 tonnes, surpassing the previous record of 725,282 metric tonnes produced in 2024.
The minister also stated that while the rice sector continues to be an important industry in the coming years, the goal is to produce 1 million tonnes of rice, which will be well in keeping with the government’s and CARICOM’s goal of slicing the food import bill by 25 per cent by 2030.
Over the last five years, the government has implemented several measures to reduce production costs and improve farmers’ livelihoods. Among these initiatives is an increase in fertiliser allocation, allowing farmers to receive a full bag per acre instead of half a bag previously.
Additionally, the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) introduced a payment system enabling direct payments to farmers at a rate of $300 per bag, improving transparency, accountability and faster transactions.
To combat paddy bug infestations, the GRDB also carried out a series of field spraying interventions to minimise crop damage.
Plans are also underway to establish an interest-free financing facility to support investments in technology, land expansion and modernised equipment for rice production.
President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali also recently announced that farmers will soon gain access to a digital tool designed to provide real-time information.
Additionally, the government recently announced that rice farmers with 50 acres or less will receive $15,000 per acre while those with more than 50 acres will receive $10,000 per acre.