…to 2,400 cubic metres by December
BARAMA Company Limited has, from June 1, restarted plywood production, with the aim of getting output up to 2,400 cubic metres by the end of the year.
The company has also committed itself to working closely with the government to ensure that there is compliance to all wood sector policies, and to the objective of value-adding.
Officials of Barama met with Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud on Friday to discuss how far the company has come since the shutting down of plywood operations in October last year.
“As you are aware, we had the unfortunate shutdown of the plywood factory in October 2010, and from then onwards, we have worked assiduously to restore plywood production. We are happy today to report to you that we have resumed plywood production, effective June 1, 2011,” said Neil Chand, Barama Head of Corporate Affairs and Forest Planning, speaking to the media at the Ministry of Agriculture.
He said this resumption was in keeping with the company’s plans, which had been approved by the Government. The resumption of the company’s plywood operation saw the employment and re-employment of over 200 persons.
Chand said the restart would definitely have a positive impact on the country’s housing drive, and for many business opportunities that this will attract, inclusive of log suppliers, local services and goods that will normally complement plywood operations. “We want to say a special thanks to the Government for being supportive and very understanding throughout this period, along with other stakeholders such as the Guyana Labour Union, the staff in general and many other stakeholders,” he said.
Chand said that with the new setup of the plywood operations, “We anticipate a 50 per cent increase in output per month.” He said that prior to the shutdown, Barama was producing around 1,600 cubic metres, and with the new operation, this should increase to 2,400 cubic metres per month. “WE will also see an increase in the level of efficiency in the operations. We anticipate that there will be an increase in recovery rates [because of] better utilisation of the timber resources. Overall, we anticipate that there will be room for further improvement in the operations,” he said.
Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud expressed satisfaction that the company met the agreed upon timeline for the re-commencement of plywood operations. “We do look forward to the increased production and productivity from the plywood operation but more importantly for us, it would allow greater availability of plywood for the local market and perhaps even for export,” the minister said, adding:
“Our major concern too is [Barama’s] utilisation of the forest area. We expect that there would be optimum utilisation of that area.”
CEO of Barama Clement Ooi thanked the minister for the support that the Government gave the company. “You can see the effort that we put behind our commitment to deliver what we committed to. During this challenging time, we [stuck to the plan]. It was not easy for the company, with the financial losses [during the period of non-production of plywood],” he said, adding:
“We have [now] crossed this hurdle and I would like to personally thank you. Rest assured, as you can see, we are going through this transformation and we are trying to [take this organisation to the next level,” Ooi said. “I would like to stress to you and the President that we look forward to working very closely with you.”