Guyana Rice Development Board

What Guyana Rice Development Board does

The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) is a statutory body of the Government of Guyana, established by Act No. 15 of 1994 and operating under the Ministry of Agriculture. Headquartered in Georgetown with approximately 70 employees, GRDB functions as the regulator and industry developer for Guyana's rice sector. It serves three primary stakeholder groups: rice farmers (predominantly smallholders), millers, and exporters, through a regional office network and a dedicated research station at Burma.

GRDB's service portfolio spans four functional areas. Research focuses on varietal development and agronomic best practice at the Burma station. Extension delivers farmer training and advisory services, with published course fees (e.g., GYD $15,000 for specified programs). Marketing supports export promotion and trade show participation, including outreach to markets such as Mexico via Expo Antad. Quality assurance runs laboratory testing, grade classification, and industry certification, with formal accreditations from JANAAC and the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS).

Revenue is generated from licensing and certification fees, training course fees, seed paddy sales, and ancillary laboratory services. GRDB also administers regulatory functions including industry licensing and the facilitation of drone usage permits for agricultural operators. The industry overseen produces material volumes of paddy annually (535,555 mt referenced), supporting domestic consumption and an export channel oriented toward Caribbean and Latin American buyers.

Name

Guyana Rice Development Board

Legal name

Guyana Rice Development Board

Website

https://grdb.gy

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Development Services

NAICS

Regulation of Agricultural Marketing and Commodities (92614), Rice Farming (11116), Rice Farming (111160), Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Crop Production (111)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100), Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Seed Quality Testing & Certification Support (Germination, Purity, Vigor) (AFAOADAK)

Keywords

• Rice industry regulation
• Agricultural research services
• Rice seed production
• Quality certification services
• Farmer extension training

Headquarters

HQ city

Georgetown

HQ country

Guyana

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Licensing and Certification Fees: GRDB collects fees for licensing rice mills (Chapter 95:05 Rice Factories Act), licensing exporters, and training/licensing graders. Fees prescribed by Minister through regulations.
2. Training Course Fees: Fees charged for training courses such as Graders License training ($15,000 for course materials).
3. Seed Paddy Sales: Sale of certified seed paddy to rice farmers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

GRDB is the statutory body responsible for developing Guyana's rice industry through an integrated service offering: agricultural research and plant breeding (proprietary rice varieties), seed paddy production and sales, extension training for farmers, ISO 17025-accredited quality control and grading of rice and paddy, licensing of graders and exporters, market information services, and export/trade facilitation. It serves licensed rice farmers, millers, graders, and exporters operating in Guyana, coordinating the national industry from research through to export.

Product overview

The Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) operates as an integrated regulatory and service organization overseeing Guyana's rice industry. The Board offers a comprehensive suite of services organized around five core pillars: Research Services (Plant Breeding, Agronomy, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Seed Production), Extension Services (including Farmer Field Schools), Marketing and Trade Facilitation, Quality Control and Certification, and Seed Paddy Sales. GRDB also provides regulatory services through licensed mill and exporter registries, and offers professional training for graders. The organization is governed by a Chairman and Board of Directors, managed by a General Manager, and was established by Act No. 15 of 1994.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rice Research and Development Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Rice yields improved from 1.7 tonnes per hectare in the 1960s to over 5 tonnes per hectare in 2016
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGNBS provides laboratory certification under the National Laboratory Standard GYS 170:2009. GRDB's Central Laboratory maintains certification from GNBS to operate as a grading laboratory for rice and paddy testing. GNBS also facilitates international recognition through JANAAC accreditation.
• Jamaica National Agency for Accreditation (JANAAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJANAAC is the internationally-recognized accreditation body that granted ISO 17025 accreditation to GRDB's Central Laboratory in 2015 on World Accreditation Day.
• Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)minorOthersGCAA is the local oversight body for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones). GRDB advises farmers on drone permit requirements for agricultural applications.
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAO's Director General visited GRDB's Rice Research Station, indicating ongoing collaboration in rice development and agricultural research.
• University of GuyanaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRDB participates in University of Guyana's Career Day at Berbice Campus to engage with students about careers in the rice industry.
• Ministry of AgriculturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRDB operates under the Ministry of Agriculture. The Ministry collaborates with GRDB on industry conferences and policy initiatives for the rice sector.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT): A CGIAR center focused on tropical agriculture, with overlapping work on rice systems and seed technologies relevant to GRDB's varietal development and quality control programs.

Broad incumbents

• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR): India's apex national body for agricultural research, education, and extension, covering rice among dozens of crops. Much larger scale than GRDB but the same institutional archetype: government-mandated crop improvement and farmer outreach.
• Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI): Malaysia's statutory national agricultural research institute; rice is one of several commodity research areas. Same statutory R&D-plus-extension model as GRDB, at greater scale and broader commodity scope.
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): The UN's global food and agriculture agency, which already partners with GRDB (Director General visit to Burma Rice Research Station). FAO is not a national peer but operates in the same policy/R&D capacity-building space for rice-producing countries.
• Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation): Brazil's national agricultural research corporation, covering crops far beyond rice but running a similar government-attached R&D-plus-extension model. Functionally analogous to a much larger version of GRDB with broader crop mandate.

Direct peers

• AfricaRice: Africa-wide rice research and development center under CGIAR, working with national programs on varietal improvement, seed systems, and extension — directly parallel to GRDB's role for Guyana's rice sector.
• Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI): The Caribbean region's agricultural R&D body covering multiple crops including rice. Most directly comparable peer by geography and mandate (regional/national crop development for Caribbean member states), with which GRDB could partner on rice-specific work.
• Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice): The Philippines' national rice R&D agency, structurally analogous to GRDB: government-attached body doing plant breeding, agronomy, extension, and seed production. Operates at significantly larger scale but follows the same statutory development model.
• International Rice Research Institute (IRRI): The global flagship rice research institute under CGIAR; comparable to GRDB as both develop improved rice varieties, support extension, and build national rice industry capacity. GRDB's Burma Rice Research Station functions as Guyana's national equivalent of IRRI's mandate.

Regional players

• Thai Rice Department (Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives): Thailand's national rice regulator and developer, combining policy, R&D, certification, and export promotion. Functions as the regional benchmark for what a national rice development board can scale to, operating from Asia rather than the Caribbean.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGI5paWz2xzIZxPXPBG6vCw
• Facebookfacebook.com/grdb.gy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/guyana-rice-development-board

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Guyana Rice Development Board