Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) has invested some $4 billion into its Tropical Orchard Products Company (TOPCO) expansion project, which will see its demand in 2020 for a total of nearly 2 million pounds of various fruit that local farmers are expected to supply.
The company last Tuesday provided a briefing on its progress during a tour for representatives of several relevant government ministries and agencies, including the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance and Education, along with the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), the Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), the National Agriculture Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), the University of Guyana (UG), the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) and the Carnegie School of Home Economics.
According to DDL, the main components of the expansion project are the installation of a one-tonne per hour fruit processing line and of a 1L Tetra Pak Juice and Milk packaging line.
A statement issued by the company on Friday said the project is designed to process and package increased volumes of existing products, including cherry, passion fruit, carambola and guava juices as well as new ones, including mango, pineapple, citrus and vegetable juices. An expanded plant, which is expected to be commissioned in mid-2020, it noted, will also be geared to produce pasteurised milk, initially from reconstituted milk and eventually from milk supplied by local dairy farmers.
The company explained that TOPCO will require a combined total of almost 2 million pounds of cherries, carambola, guava and passion fruit in 2020, up from the 357,281 pounds supplied so far for 2019, representing an increase of 444 per cent.
It was pointed out that farmers will benefit from the venture through a guarantee that their supply of fruits to TOPCO is secure, with stability of prices in spite of market demand/supply conditions as well as the potential to increase their cultivation of target fruits (cherry, guava, passion fruit, carambola) to increase supply to TOPCO as well as supply additional fruits and vegetables. Another expected benefit for farmers is the ability to collaborate with a network of technical and financial agriculture-support agencies, as part of what the company says is the holistic market-driven approach to developing partnerships with local fruits and dairy farmers.
The statement noted that Tuesday’s meeting provided for an exchange of views and information on current programmes and projects taking place in the agriculture sector and how strategies for the success of the TOPCO expansion might fit into those projects. “The necessary assistance that both farmers and some of agencies will need to effectively execute their responsibilities was also discussed,” it added.
Farmers that currently supply TOPCO were due to tour the project as well as engage in discussions with TOPCO officials about the company’s future requirements and the proposed arrangements and conditions for the guaranteed purchase of their fruits.
This week, a meeting with TOPCO and the Ministry of Agriculture’s Planning Unit is to be held to further advance collaboration on the project, the company said.
The DDL team participating in Tuesday’s meeting was headed by Executive Chairman Komal Samaroo and included Production Director Shaun Caleb, TOPCO Plant Manager Rebecca Rampher, DDL’s Project Engineer Joshua Gobin and Government Affairs Consultant Wesley Kirton.
