About 2,000 rice farmers on the Essequibo Coast are set to benefit from Guyana's first climate-controlled rice storage hub, with the sod-turning ceremony scheduled for Friday at Onderneeming, Region Two.

The initiative seeks to strengthen storage capacity, improve post-harvest management and support the growth of the rice industry.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha said in an interview with the Department of Public Information last Thursday that the contract has been awarded and the first phase will cost $1 billion.

The investment follows the Government's 2026 Budget commitment to increase rice-storage capacity through climate-controlled silos over the next five years.
Mustapha said the facility will be a game changer for farmers in Essequibo, where paddy prices are usually very low.

The hub is expected to provide 10,000 tonnes of storage capacity, allowing farmers to hold their paddy until they secure a better offer.

With the Guyana Development Bank now operational, Mustapha said the agriculture landscape will change, as rice farmers will be able to access loans that no longer leave them indebted to millers.

"These soft loans coming out of the Guyana Development Bank, instead of going to the miller to take these inputs, they will have a small loan like $1 million, $1.5 million without any collateral, without any interest," he said. (Reworked from DPI)