THE Ministry of Agriculture launched the International Year of Rice in Guyana Monday, seeking, among other things, to both highlight and enhance the country's output capabilities and export potential.

The fact that it's an all-year affair underscores the importance of Guyana increasing rice production at reduced costs and externalizing its sales.

Indeed, as the theme of International Year of Rice indicates, "Rice is the Grain of Life."

According to the International Rice Research Institute of the Philippines, rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food of over half the world's people and is grown on approximately 146 million hectares, more than 10 percent of total available land. Total world production is about 535 million tons of unmilled or rough rice (paddy). Ninety seven percent (97 percent) of the world's rice is grown by less developed countries, mostly in Asia, with China and India producing about 55 percent of the total crop.

The Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates per capita consumption in Asia to be around 230 pounds per year, well above the global average of 145 pounds.

Per capita in the United States in 2001 was around 27 pounds and in Western Europe around 11 pounds.

The word from the Philippines institute is that with the exception of the highest income countries, per capita rice consumption has remained stable in Asia over the past 30 years or so.

In most African and Latin American countries, it says, "rice is less important than other crops. On average rice contributes 10 percent or less of the total calorie intake, although Guinea, Guyana, Suriname, Liberia, Madagascar and Sierra Leone 31 to 45 percent of the calories eaten come from rice."

If one were to analyze the above reports against the backdrop of what Guyana produces - an average of 320,000 tons annually - the chances of Guyana penetrating the international market would be likened to a drop in the stream.

Yet, as Minister Satyadeow Sawh disclosed at the launching of International Year of Rice, Guyana exports about 70 percent of its rice.

Apart from the competitive challenge, there's an additional incentive to produce and export more rice. As the largest private sector activity in Guyana, the country's rice industry provides direct employment for more than 100,000 persons.

Admittedly constraints abound.

The USDA's Economic Research Service describes the international rice market as "thin, volatile, and risky."

It says that less than 6 percent of world production is traded annually, compared with about 18 percent for wheat, 25 percent for soybeans, and almost 13 percent for corn, and with only a small share of production traded in global markets, a production shortfall in a major importing country can cause a large swing in international prices.

The optimist that he is, Minister Sawh foresees bright days ahead for Guyana's rice and for its impact on bettering the living standards of the Guyanese people.

"Rice is one of the economic cornerstones of this country, spanning the entire coastal belt, from Pomeroon to Crabwood Creek, and even the hinterland areas in Rupununi, utilizing 140,000 hectares of arable land."

Equally good news is that government is committed to continue putting in place the necessary policies, infrastructure and institutions that are fundamental to making the rice industry an integrated, sustainable and profitable one for the benefit of all Guyanese.