Essequibo rice farmers get $251 million, gov’t pledges more investment to cut costs

Government has paid out about $251 million in subsidies to rice farmers in the Pomeroon–Supenaam region, part of a wider effort to cushion growers from falling global prices and rising production costs, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said on Friday.

Speaking during the latest round of subsidy distributions on the Essequibo Coast, Mustapha said the state had injected a total of G$4.1 billion into the rice sector for the first and second crops of 2025, providing direct financial support to farmers.

“This government has a proud record of delivering on every promise made to the people of this country,” Mustapha told farmers, adding that the cash assistance was critical to keeping producers viable amid weaker international market conditions.

The minister said Region Two had about 32,000 acres available for rice cultivation, with roughly 30,000 acres already planted, and that the government intended to bring all available lands under cultivation while opening up new areas for agriculture.

He also outlined plans to lower production costs by upgrading key infrastructure, including rehabilitating a seed facility on the Essequibo Coast and building a fertiliser plant and a storage facility for paddy.

“Very soon, Guyana will have its own fertiliser plant, which will reduce the cost of production,” Mustapha said.

As part of a longer-term strategy, the government is also planning to establish a rice “cluster” in the region, where machinery would be provided for groups of farmers, reducing their reliance on expensive private rentals.

“We want to identify areas with a high concentration of rice farmers and purchase machinery, so they do not have to rent equipment at high costs,” he said.

Mustapha said the government was continuing efforts to expand Guyana’s rice exports, including talks with Mexico, while also encouraging farmers to move into value-added production through agro-processing.

“We have to incorporate and utilise rice for value-added products,” he said.