THE RICE INDUSTRY IN GUYANA

 
By Gulcharan Mohabir

 Quote from Peter Ruhomon “Centenary History of the East Indians of British Guiana”

 “ The rice industry stands out as a living monument to the industry and perseverance of the Indian and attests, in no uncertain manner, to his value and usefulness as a colonist”

           After the abolition of slavery, East Indians were brought under a new form of slavery called the “indenture system” to rescue the sugar industry. The fact that the sugar industry is still a highly successful and viable industry in Guyana to this day, and the major foreign exchange earner in the country, is a testimony to how well they attained that goal.

           However, the sugar plantation owners realized that they would be faced with two major problems after the indentureship period ended for each indentured person:

·       The very high cost of returning to India all these people who had completed their period of indentureship;

·       They would still face labour shortage to work on the sugar estates.

           In 1871, a plan was devised, whereby the return passage to India were commuted for land grants by the British Guiana government to all those East Indians who had completed their period of indentureship.

           This plan appealed very strongly to these people, whose dream was always to possess their own land. In fact, many who had actually saved money during their days of indentureship, used their savings to acquire larger plots of land, while small loans were made available to some others to purchase more land.

           The land that they were given to them for the most part were swamp land, it was therefore necessary for these people had to prepare the land for planting of crops, and develop irrigation systems. Land settlements developed in such areas as Anna Regina, Whim, Canje Creek, Mahaica/Mahaicony, etc.

           Up to this time rice was not grown in British Guiana. It was actually being imported into to country, because rice was a staple diet of East Indians. Prior to 1865, the country was importing over 22,000 tons of rice annually from India, and paying over 220,000 British pounds for this.

           Those Indians who had come from the Calcutta region was familiar with rice growing at Chota Nagpur, and also those who had come from Uttar Pradesh. These East Indians started growing rice locally, and constructed their own rice mills. The industry developed very quickly.  In this endeavor, they were assisted by the local Ministry of Agriculture.

           Rice was basically a seasonal crop. So, with the extra time available, the people grew cattle, and also planted other crops, such as fruits, vegetables and ground provisions, at first for their own consumption, and later for sale to other inhabitants living in the mainly urban areas.

           By 1907, importation of rice had dropped to 2.700 tons. By what was more important, the colony was now exporting rice to the West Indies.

           The importance of the rice industry was firmly established during the first World War. During that tragedy, wheat flour became too expensive to import. A substitute, rice flour, asserted itself.

           By 1917, over 63,000 acres of land were under rice cultivation in different parts of the country, producing 42,000 tons of rice, of which 14,000 tons were exported to the West Indian islands. Rice had become a staple diet for all Guyanese, and the colony was finally able to satisfy the demand for this product from locally grown rice.

           In 1933, the industry had reached such size that it became necessary to form a Rice Marketing Board to handle the grading and marketing of rice for export. Initially, this helped to stabilize the industry and worked to increase the export trade.

           The industry in British Guiana had attained major importance. It was a major foreign exchange earner for the country. It had also established East Indians as bona fide citizens of the country, and many families became very wealthy by planting rice. One factor of great importance was that of independence. Many East Indians did not have to become Christians to get up in life. Rice growing gave them that opportunity.

           Quote from Ruhomon “ Thus from humble beginnings, the Rice Industry has risen to position second to the Sugar Industry, in the agriculture life of the colony and, for this wonderful achievement the humble Indians must be given the sole credit in building it up, step by step, against the adverse conditions and unfavourable circumstances they had to contend with, in their courageous and persevering efforts to save it from being crushed, at its incipient stage.