Black Bush Polder farmers to get seed paddy dryer, pre-cleaner worth $46.3M

Contracts being signed in the Ministry of Agriculture’s boardroom.

A number of rice famers within the Black Bush Polder area in East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six) will soon accessed a $46.3 million 10-tonne seed paddy dryer and pre-cleaner. It was disclosed that the machine will assist paddy growers who are affected by high transportation cost to move their produce to the Number 56 seed processing facility.

The Agriculture Ministry, through the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) has already awarded the contract to SuperBrix to supply, deliver and install the heavy-duty apparatus. As such, it was revealed that the GRDB has also awarded a $26M contract to VR Construction Inc., to construct an all-weather road at Burma Rice Research Station, Region Five.

It was noted that with such a thoroughfare established, farmers will spend less time travelling to their farmlands. As such, it means that they will also have more time on hand and can double up on the amount of produce they would normally bring out daily. Further, an insectary will also be constructed at the Burma Rice Research Station by Monohar Services, to the tune of $23.1M. it was disclosed that the screen house is the primary requirement for the biological control programme for the paddy bug.

Contracts being signed in the Ministry of Agriculture’s boardroom

Meanwhile, Guydrones signed a $7.3M contract with the ministry for the supply, delivery and demonstration of one agricultural drone for the research station. It was noted that the Agra T20 agriculture drone will enhance the management of pesticides like paddy bugs, optimise field management and disperse weed controls or fertiliser.

Additionally, a $17.1M drying floor will be constructed at Somerset, Region Two, by Yudhisthir Seecharan Contracting and General Supplies. The agriculture ministry, revealed that in October 2021, through the GRDB they commissioned a $10M drying floor at Riverstown, along the Essequibo Coast. Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, declared that once farmers make requests for these types of facilities, the government will work to facilitate them.