–massive road, bridge construction underway to support transport, processing of locally produced milk
–modernised facility to slash Guyana, CARICOM milk import prices

BOASTING new technology and the capacity to house over 900 cattle, the Demerara Dairies Incorporated, an extension of Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), is set to construct Guyana’s first modern dairy farm at Moblissa, along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

During a tour of the construction site on Friday, DDL’s Chairman, Komal Samaroo told reporters that the G$4 billion investment will see the company building a new brand and creating a market for liquid, ready-to-use milk.

Construction is set to be completed by February 2025, and the project is expected to curtail the country’s and Caribbean’s excessive spending on the importation of milk.

Construction of a new bridge is underway to allow for the smooth transportation of milk product (Delano Williams photos)

According to information provided by the project officials, Guyana spends about US$35 million a year on the importation of powdered milk, while the region spends about US$180 million.

“With this project, we are hoping that we can move the market away from importing powdered milk to liquid, ready-to-use milk. Our goal eventually is to replace all the imports, and export to the Caribbean. We see this as a phase one of a major development,” Samaroo said.

Back in 2022, DDL in partnership with the LR Group of Israel had identified several acres of land at Moblissa for the construction of the dairy farm.

The operation is designed to supply DDL’s TOPCO milk plant with fresh cows’ milk for pasteurisation and packaging, and will produce over four million litres of fresh milk per year when operationalised.

“We have done a lot of work and we found an excellent partner, the LR group. We visited them in February last year; we looked at their operations and we were very impressed. We worked the numbers and realised that this could be a project that is beneficial to Guyana and I believe eventually the Caribbean,” Samaroo said.

Back in August, the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) agreed on the protocols for Veterinary Health Certificates for the export of cattle to Guyana from the US.

DDL’s chairman, Komal Samaroo

According to Samaroo, the project introduces to Guyana a new and unique method of dairy farming, in that instead of allowing them to graze, the cows will be fed a diet of nutritional food grown on the farm, pens will be temperature-controlled to ensure their comfort, and each animal will be monitored, electronically, to ensure its health.

In the first phase of its operation, there will be some 915 animals: 500 milking cattle and 415 heifers.

Once completed, the project is expected to strengthen dairy production in Guyana and CARICOM.

SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

Several works have already commenced to facilitate the construction of the major facility. The main access road is currently being rehabilitated while a new bridge is being built to allow for the smooth transport of the milk to DDL’s TOPCO milk plant for further processing.

Project Manager, Wesley Kirton

This aspect of the work, according to contractors, will be completed in three weeks at the cost of $32 million.

Simultaneously, lands are being cleared for the farm to produce its own local feed, Project Manager, Wesley Kirton disclosed.

He said: “These lands are being cleared and then it will be levelled and then cultivation of the feed for the animals will grow here. The feed will be harvested and then taken to the barn where it is mixed and formulated based on the nutritional requirement of the different categories of animals.”

Ultimately, the aim is to cultivate 500 acres of corn and other legumes, which will be processed and converted for feed for cattle. Three massive wells will also be constructed to support the farms irrigation.

Meanwhile, in commending DDL for its undertaking of the massive project, Minister within the Ministry of Public, Deodat Indar said the project will be a game changer.

“Milk in Guyana, we had an industry back in the day that used to produce some amount of milk, but how it is being done now by DDL is a total different technology and I’m very happy to see that technology transforms,” Indar said.

The Ministry of Public Works is supporting the company with the ongoing rehabilitation of the access road and a bridge.

Also commending the company, Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Madanlall Ramraj said the project fits seamlessly into the region’s agricultural and food security targets to reduce CARICOM’s food-import bill.