mulls plan for more upgrades, new mill to upkeep standards, increase storage

BOASTING its capacity to mix 20,000 kilogrammes of flour per hour and store 700 metric tonnes of the commodity, the National Milling Company of Guyana (NAMILCO) commissioned a $US8 million/ $GY1.6 billion state-of-the-art mixing plant at its Agricola, East Bank Demerara factory.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bert Sukhai said the aim is to continue to provide unique, high-quality blends of flour to consumers, locally and internationally.

“Our aim is to provide each baker with a unique recipe for their flour,” Sukhai said.
NAMILCO has been providing Guyanese with flour for some 54 years. The expansion comes at a time when the company is implementing newer technologies and innovative methods to maintain its standards.

“With clean and uninterrupted power this facility can be operated as a light south [sic] facility, meaning that no one needs to be psychically present to run the mixing plant, it can be controlled via an app on your cellphone.”
The new state-of-the-art facility took two and a half years to complete; nevertheless, during the construction phases, daily production remained uninterrupted.
Sukhai shared plans for further expansion of the factory and revealed that the company is eyeing the construction of a new mill. This, he said, will be a $15 million investment; however, much research and data will be needed on the local and regional consumption of flour before any further plans are made.
Meanwhile, President Dr. Irfaan Ali who delivered the feature address at the event, said the government has been creating an enabling environment for investors.
“We have created a platform in terms of fiscal incentives that is second to none in this Region or anywhere else. The speed in efficiency through which we have advanced that platform…is second to none.”

He referenced the government’s move to implement tax exemptions in several areas, such as construction, fuel, etc.
“If you don’t have that enabling environment, an enabling framework, then you would not invest,” he said.
However, Dr Ali acknowledged that the cost of energy is a challenge for investors in the country.
The government, he explained, is working to address this within the next two years with ongoing projects such as the Amaila Falls hydropower and the Wales gas-to-shore project, both aimed at reducing the cost of energy in Guyana.

“Bringing that cost of energy [down] allows the private sector to use this two-year lack [sic] time to reinvest to modernize, to rebuild their systems to create that level of technological transfer and bring in that level of innovation that will allow them to benefit in two years’ time from this lower cost of energy.”
“We acknowledged that for us to grow the industrial sector, the manufacturing sector, the agro-processing sector, the value-added sector, we have to invest in bringing down the cost of energy,” he added.

Also present at the commissioning ceremony was Mr. Jack Bresky, Chief Executive Officer of Seaboard Corporation, a subsidiary of NAMILCO and newly appointed United States Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot.

During her remarks, the diplomat commended the company for its dedication to international standards and for continually seeking out new technologies to offer and deliver safe, quality products to consumers.