Guyana needs large-scale dairy plantation – GO- Invest Head

A large-scale dairy plantation is needed to bolster Guyana’s agricultural production and help with diversification efforts, the Chief Investment Officer of GO-Invest Peter Ramsaroop says.

He said this when asked to comment on the work being done by the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) and the LR Group out of Israel. Those two companies are working towards the establishment of the most advanced dairy farm in Guyana, producing more than four million litres of milk annually

Already, the LR group has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DDL; as part of the MoU as well the two companies are working on a feasibility study to determine the most appropriate location for the dairy farm.

And, Ramsaroop said, “That shows the interest in Guyana.”

According to him, Guyana’s dairy industry is in need of a “large dairy plantation type of area” to allow for large- scale farming.

It has been reported that Guyana imports about US $25 million in milk products annually. Tropical Orchard Products Company Limited (TOPCO), a subsidiary of Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), is expected to produce locally-made milk from this month.

The News Room understands that this milk will be sold under the brand name ‘Savannah’ and will be available as full cream milk, low- fat milk and chocolate milk.

But, in its initial stages the company will start selling reconstituted milk, which, simply, is produced by adding water to the dried or concentrated form of drinking milk (that is, milk powder). This milk powder is imported.

As the company continues to sell these products, however, it aims to use fresh cow’s milk for pasteurisation and packaging. Pasteurisation is the process of heating raw milk to remove any pathogens (bacteria or viruses that can cause diseases) from it.

Because of this anticipated transition to pasteurise and package cow’s milk, instead of using the imported powdered milk, the creation of this dairy farm with the LR group would aid production.

Ramsaroop also emphasised the need for the large-scale dairy farm.

Importantly, he also said that Go-Invest was exploring other potential investments from the Israeli company.

He said that the company has signaled an interest in the agricultural sector as a whole and other areas in the oil and gas industry.

During an exclusive interview with the News Room, Joseph Harrosh, the Director of the LR Group said that the company will soon establish an office in Guyana as the company seeks a big potential for investments in a number of sectors.