Maclean et al. - 2002 - Rice almanac source book for the most important e

GUYANA, a small country, with 215,000 km 2 in area and a population of 855,000, is located
on the northern edge of South America, between Suriname and Venezuela. Nearly all the
inhabitants live on a coastal plain, where most agriculture is concentrated. The remainder of
the country consists of a rainforest belt backed by an extensive mountain range. Rice and
sugarcane are the major crops; only 2.2% of the land is arable. Agriculture forms 35% of the
GDP and occupies 22% of the workforce.
General information
• GNI per capita PPP$, 2000: 3,670
• Internal renewable water resources: 241 km 3
• Main food consumed: rice, wheat, sugar and
honey, fruits, meat
• Rice consumption, 1999: 85.3 kg milled rice
per person per year
Production constraints
There are several constraints to sustainable rice
production in Guyana:
• Inadequate development of irrigation and
drainage infrastructure
• Weed competition
• Blast, hoja blanca virus
• Lack of credit to farmers
• Inadequate input supply, especially
improved seeds and fertilizer
• Inadequate drying and storage facilities
• Lack of export facilities, especially bulk
loading
Production season
Planting Harvesting
Main season Jan-Feb May-Jun
172 Rice almanac