| BENGAL FARM, CORENTYNE – As the rate of paddy bug infestation continues to climb in Region Six, President of the Guyana Rice Producers’ Association, Leeka Rambrich, is reiterating his call for farmers to be more vigilant.Up to last Friday, the rate of infestation was up to seven percent for this present rice crop. Two weeks ago, the figure stood at six percent and even that number is said to be high for the rice sector. The last crop (Autumn Crop) in 2009, two percent of the total paddy harvested in Region Six was infested by the paddy bug.President of the Guyana Rice Producers’ Association Leeka RambrichRambrich explained that the paddy bug attacks the grain of the paddy during the milky stage. This is when the plant is about 61 to 74 days old and the grain is most vulnerable. It is during the milky period that the paddy bug causes the grain to be under filled when it sucks the substance out of it and secretes saliva into the grain. After the grain passes the milky stage, it becomes like dough and when the paddy bug attacks the grain, it becomes discoloured or black and is easily broken. The spring crop (first crop) is more affected by paddy bug damage than the autumn crop.There are several pesticides such as Monocrotophous (Nuvacron), Pestac, Karate,Cheap Jerseys NFL China, Fastac, Actara, Admire, Pilarking,Wholesale Jerseys, Pronto and Relevo that could be used to control the paddy bug pest.Pronto is mainly used and is one of the most effective pesticides but it must be applied at the recommended dose. Pronto is imported from China and private companies spend millions of dollars every year to bring it to Guyana. In Region Six,Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale, some chemical companies sell it between $4,500 and $5,000 for 500 grammes, while traders from Suriname up to late last year sold it between $3,000 and $3,500 for 500 grammes, but the price recently dropped to as low as $2,500.The paddy bug or stink bug, as it is commonly called,NFL Jerseys Supply, has a very fast migration rate and farmers must do regular checks and monitor their fields before and after spraying. A sweep net is used to keep track of the extent of infestation. This is a cone-shaped gadget that is made by the farmers themselves. Using the sweeping action through the rice fields, the farmers can tell if the amount of paddy bug is reducing or climbing by the number of paddy bugs trapped in the sweep net.The Guyana Rice Development Board issued a paddy bug alert and called on farmers to take heed especially in the rainy conditions. Rambrich said that the farmers must use a sticker to assist in the control of the pest. The sticker is a chemical which fastens to plants and prevents the paddy from feeding on the grain.Rambrich said it is only by keeping a close eye on their crop that farmers can minimise their loss. According to him, the cultivators already were faced with high overhead cost to pump water due to the El Niño situation.As it is now, 20 percent of this entire rice crop in Region Six is at the flowering stage. This first crop is an extended one and while some farmers are harvesting, others must wait because their crop is only in the flowering stage.The President of the Guyana Rice Producers’ Association believes that there is some connection between cattle pastures and the paddy bug. He said the cattle fields are the breeding ground for the pest. During the long dry season there was not much vegetation in the cattle pastures for the paddy bugs to feed on, hence they migrated to the rice fields.The farmers’ field school in Region Six continues to educate the farmers on a number of practices and it also provides the opportunity for them to learn from the strategies and techniques of their counterparts.The main types of rice planted in Region Six, are the 196 and the leading two – 135 and 196- but some farmers in the Upper Corentyne cultivate the old variety – 710, GRDB Nine and GRDB Ten, and a small amount of IR is planted in Black Bush Polder. The GRDB Nine and GRDB Ten are two new lines released last year by the Rice Research Center at Burma and they produce yields of 45 bags per acre. Unfortunately none of the type of rice planted in Region Six is resistant to paddy bug.Paddy bug is not the only issue facing rice farmers – ‘red rice’ ranks second. For the last crop in 2009, between 12 and 14 percent was affected by ‘red rice’. This present crop, ten percent of it is ‘red rice.’Rambrich described the ‘red rice’ problem as a national one although it does not occur every season. The ‘red rice’ grows together with the regular rice but when it is ready to flower or bear it goes beyond the regular rice and bears on top. It kills the regular rice and takes over the field. When it ripens it does not stay on the ball (stem) for too long, it falls off and ends up back in the field. When harvesting, half of it enters the combine and the remainder falls to the ground.The ‘red rice’,Cheap Jerseys Online, though fit for human consumption,Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic, is of a low grade and as the name suggests is often red.Meanwhile, last week harvesting was affected as a result of the heavy rainfall from Wednesday. Rambrich explained that if the paddy is wet it would develop heat and become discoloured.In the front lands (areas from Crabwood Creek to New Forest along with East and West Canje, the East Bank of Berbice and New Amsterdam) 8,910 acres were harvested up to Friday at 31 bags per acre. The four schemes comprising Black Bush Polder reaped 4,595 acres at 33 bags per acre. This takes to 27 percent the total amount of paddy harvested for this crop.Land preparation for the second crop commenced in some locations. To date, the first cut was done on 2,413 acres of land in the front lands and 2,807 in Black Bush Polder. The sector in Region Six is projecting a 50,000-acre of rice land cultivation for the second crop this year. According to Rambrich, more farmers are accepting the challenge thrown out by Government and are returning to rice farming. Some of the areas that farmers are now re-focusing attention to include, Highbury, Mara, Crabwood Creek and the Follow-Up Scheme aback Port Mourant on the Corentyne. Of the 7,Jerseys From China,000 acres of land available in the Follow-up Scheme, 2,000 acres are already under cultivation.The President of the Guyana Rice Producers’ Association is appealing to rice millers to be up to date with payments to farmers. Under the Amended Rice Factory Act, farmers must receive 50 percent of the payment within 14 days of delivery and the remaining amount within 42 days. Rambrich said that this has not been happening in Region Six. |
