As shipments from Asia and the USA were curtailed during the First World War, Guyana expanded exports to the West Indies . The industry stagnated between the two World Wars. In 1939 a single marketing organization for rice was established and by the end of the Second World War Guyana had secured a virtual monopoly of the West Indies market. Over the period 1946 to 1950 Guyana was producing an average of 61,181 tons of paddy and exporting 22,991 tons.

In 1946 the British Guiana Rice Marketing Board (BGRMB) was established, it bought and sold all rice produced in the colony, in the same year the British Guiana Rice Producers Association (BGRPA) was established. By 1956 Guyana had been labeled the ‘bread basket of the Caribbean ' and by the time of independence in 1966 paddy production had reached 167,600 tons.

CURRENT SITUATION OF RICE IN GUYANA

Rice represents a way of life for many of Guyana 's people and has deep roots in the history of our country. Rice is the second largest agricultural sub-sector in Guyana , second only to sugar. Guyana 's economy, and indeed stability, is heavily dependent on the health of its agricultural sector and by extension on the rice industry. The rice industries therefore have a crucial role to play in the future development of Guyana . 

The domestic market for rice is important for the industry; however it is essentially an export oriented industry with about 70% of Guyana 's total rice production being exported. This makes Guyana unique as most other rice exporting countries. Rice exports represent a significant proportion of our total exports (approx. 14%) and make a very significant contribution (approx. 11%) to our foreign exchange earnings

The industry incorporates many stakeholders, farmers, millers, exporters, consumers, input suppliers, transport providers and the public sector to name but a few. Rice production is carried out by private producers, the vast majority of whom are small-scale farmers with the average size of rice farms being 10 – 20 acres. It has been estimated that there are approximately 10,000 farm families that depend on rice for their livelihood. Guyana also has 105 privately owned rice mills. In addition to farm families, workers in the rice mills, exporters, input suppliers, etc also depend either directly or indirectly on the rice industry. Thus approximately 100,000 persons (14% of the entire population) rely on this vital industry.