RESIDENTS of Aranaputa Valley in the North Rupununi last Wednesday participated in the formal opening of a modern peanut processing factory in the village.
The project was successfully completed by the Government of Canada in collaboration with the Government of Guyana, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
Village Chairman, Mr. Kenneth Forde recently told Chronicle that the cultivation of peanuts was the main source of income in the village, and that the electrically-driven factory  will serve as a major asset for the economic development  of  his  community.
The plant, capable of producing 100 pounds of peanut butter per day, will be managed by members of the Council under the umbrella of the Aranaputa Processors Friendly Society Peanut Butter Factory.
It will process at least 60,000 pounds of peanuts this year, thereby providing a ready market for producers and providing employment for villagers.
The school-feeding programme in the Region will be the main market for the peanut butter, and the Village Council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Education with respect to the quantities required and the price, Forde said.
“The market for schools alone is a big market. So this plant is a good development for us,” Forde said.
Forde thanked the Governments of Canada and Guyana as well as CIDA
for making the asset available to the  community.