Agriculture Minister reveals that $1.9B Albion packaging facility will help to return sugar to profitability

$1.9B i

$1.9B is the cost for the state-of-the-art packaging facility coming to the Albion/Port Mourant Sugar Estate, Corentyne, Berbice, and it is expected to be completed by February 2024.

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, on Thursday, set the records straight in the National Assembly about the massive project. He said it will further drive government’s commitment to make sugar sufficient and profitable again. “This will be a modernised plant where we will be producing and packaging more sugar, because what we have found out (is) that the packaged sugar is in demand in our country,” Mustapha told the House.

The minister explained that the ultra-modern facility, which will be outfitted with high-end equipment, is projected to be 75 by 75 meters, with 10,000 metric tons storage capacity. Minister Mustapha said that the facility will accommodate five packaging lines/machines. It was disclosed that each of the machines is expected to produce 15 metric tons per day, which will provide approximately 7,500, two-kilogram packets of ‘Demerara Gold’ sugar.

“That’s about 37,500 packs of Demerara Gold per day during the grinding season. Annual output from this factory every year is almost a million packs of Demerara Gold per year,” he stressed.   Mustapha pointed out that some $400M has been allocated to move the portion of the Enmore packaging [plant line to Albion this year.

The minister revealed that with the magnitude of work, construction cannot be completed in one year, noting that it is a multi-year project. Mustapha noted that the Enmore packaging plant was restarted in October 2020, after being closed by the previous APNU+AFC Government.

The agriculture minister disclosed that 42 workers who were placed on the breadline were rehired in 2020, with employment expenses amounting to $1.56M, while material cost amounted to $3.03M between October to December. According to Mustapha, another $94.95M was allocated to the factory. Meanwhile, some $47.99M was exhausted for employment, and $46.9M was expended on material cost.

Accordingly, he said that between January to April 2022, $15.8M was utilised for employment expenses, and $46.9M for procurement of materials, amounting to $94.95M. Outside service also exhausted about $0.01M. Further, the minister said that the Enmore estate has two working packaging lines, one of which will be moved to the Blairmont estate, and the other to the Albion Estate.

Mustapha also outlined that the Blairmont Sugar Estate will see major expansion, and will be able to have a 5,000 metric ton capacity, at a cost of $800 million. Additionally, the facility at Enmore will see a $7B (US $35M) investment by GUYSONS and K+B Investments Inc. (GK+B), that will create over 500 jobs for villagers and communities along the East Coast corridor. As such, the company will establish oil field manufacturing facilities at the sugar plant that will retain sugar workers, and other persons. It was noted that President, Irfaan Ali said the initial startup of the company to get the processing facility at the estate functional will see an investment of $1.5B ($US 7.5M) and the creation of 150 jobs. Mustapha added that the intention is also to hire sugar workers who lost their jobs.

s the cost for the state-of-the-art packaging facility coming to the Albion/Port Mourant Sugar Estate, Corentyne, Berbice, and it is expected to be completed by February 2024.

Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, on Thursday, set the records straight in the National Assembly about the massive project. He said it will further drive government’s commitment to make sugar sufficient and profitable again. “This will be a modernised plant where we will be producing and packaging more sugar, because what we have found out (is) that the packaged sugar is in demand in our country,” Mustapha told the House.

The minister explained that the ultra-modern facility, which will be outfitted with high-end equipment, is projected to be 75 by 75 meters, with 10,000 metric tons storage capacity. Minister Mustapha said that the facility will accommodate five packaging lines/machines. It was disclosed that each of the machines is expected to produce 15 metric tons per day, which will provide approximately 7,500, two-kilogram packets of ‘Demerara Gold’ sugar.

“That’s about 37,500 packs of Demerara Gold per day during the grinding season. Annual output from this factory every year is almost a million packs of Demerara Gold per year,” he stressed.   Mustapha pointed out that some $400M has been allocated to move the portion of the Enmore packaging [plant line to Albion this year.

The minister revealed that with the magnitude of work, construction cannot be completed in one year, noting that it is a multi-year project. Mustapha noted that the Enmore packaging plant was restarted in October 2020, after being closed by the previous APNU+AFC Government.

The agriculture minister disclosed that 42 workers who were placed on the breadline were rehired in 2020, with employment expenses amounting to $1.56M, while material cost amounted to $3.03M between October to December. According to Mustapha, another $94.95M was allocated to the factory. Meanwhile, some $47.99M was exhausted for employment, and $46.9M was expended on material cost.

Accordingly, he said that between January to April 2022, $15.8M was utilised for employment expenses, and $46.9M for procurement of materials, amounting to $94.95M. Outside service also exhausted about $0.01M. Further, the minister said that the Enmore estate has two working packaging lines, one of which will be moved to the Blairmont estate, and the other to the Albion Estate.

Mustapha also outlined that the Blairmont Sugar Estate will see major expansion, and will be able to have a 5,000 metric ton capacity, at a cost of $800 million. Additionally, the facility at Enmore will see a $7B (US $35M) investment by GUYSONS and K+B Investments Inc. (GK+B), that will create over 500 jobs for villagers and communities along the East Coast corridor. As such, the company will establish oil field manufacturing facilities at the sugar plant that will retain sugar workers, and other persons. It was noted that President, Irfaan Ali said the initial startup of the company to get the processing facility at the estate functional will see an investment of $1.5B ($US 7.5M) and the creation of 150 jobs. Mustapha added that the intention is also to hire sugar workers who lost their jobs.