Euro funds available for rice sector
Stabroek News
May 15, 2004
Guyana is now in a position to draw down funds for the setting up of a project management unit for the rice sector.
Minister of Agriculture, Satyadeow Sawh made the announcement yesterday before the signing of an 11.7M euro grant to support the competitiveness of Guyana's rice sector. Helen Jenkinson, the European Union (EU) Charge d'Affaires signed on behalf of the EU.
The grant is part of a 24M euros outlay for the whole Caribbean rice sector.
Sawh said this was the ninth Euro fund to support the strategic development of rice and Guyana, as one of the largest rice producers in the region, would benefit the most.
The grant would go towards management, resource training and marketing.
Permanent Secretary Dindyal Permaul said the project is a large undertaking, saying the subsidiary programme has the goals of putting a functioning secretariat in place.
He added that a work programme is also to be devised with all the relevant stakeholders.
General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board Jagnarine Singh said the grant would be used to give the farmers an edge in terms of rice quality, yield, drainage and irrigation, training and other benefits.
Dharamkumar Seeraj, General Secretary of the Guyana Rice Producers Association, said that a diagnostic study was done and the grant would address some of the key areas that came out of the study.
Under WTO rules preferential prices for Guyana's rice to the European Union are to be phased out and the money is seen as a step to get the sector in shape for free trade and possibly lower prices.