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GUYANA, a small country, with 215,000 km2 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 km3
- 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 |
Basic statistics, Guyana |
|
1985 |
1990 |
1995 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
Rice |
Area harvested (ha) |
77,779 |
51,345 |
126,777 |
129,419 |
145,000 |
145,000 |
Yield (t/ha) |
3.3 |
3.0 |
4.0 |
4.1 |
4.1 |
4.1 |
Production (t) |
256,167 |
155,740 |
503,278 |
532,000 |
600,000 |
600,000 |
Rice exports (t) |
29,339 |
50,943 |
200,544 |
249,760 |
249,760 |
na |
Others |
Population, total (x103) |
793 |
795 |
830 |
850 |
855 |
na |
Population, agriculture (x103) |
192 |
174 |
164 |
158 |
156 |
na |
Agricultural area (x103 ha) |
1,725 |
1,725 |
1,726 |
1,726 |
na |
na |
Irrigated agricultural area (x103 ha) |
127 |
135 |
150 |
150 |
na |
na |
Total fertilizer consumption (t) |
12,333 |
12,000 |
15,000 |
16,200 |
na |
na |
Tractors used in agric. (no.) |
3,550 |
3,600 |
3,630 |
3,630 |
na |
na |
Source: FAOSTAT online database. |
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