Sterling Products Limited (SPL) and the Amaya Milk Company signed a distributor’s agreement on Friday at Parc Rayne on the East Bank of Demerara.
A release from the event said that SPL will be the exclusive distributor.
At the signing ceremony, the CEO of SPL, Ramsay Ali expressed his excitement about working with Amaya and their commitment to bringing the best products to customers across the region. With Sterling’s distribution network and cold storage facilities, Amaya will be able to reach even more customers, the release noted.
The CEO of Amaya Milk Company, Omkaar Sharma, shared his experience of using his knowledge gained from working in North America to develop his home country. He expressed his excitement about the partnership and the potential it has for growth and development in Guyana’s private sector.
Oneidge Walrond, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, and Mark Berman, High Commissioner of Canada to Guyana and Suriname, both made remarks in support of the partnership and the growth of the private sector in Guyana.
Sharma highlighted that the company was his baby, as it started after the birth of his first born, Amaya. He took the experience from his work in North America and used it as stepping stone to develop his home country.
The $150 million facility which is located at Onverwagt, Region Five earlier this year commenced the production of paneer – a fresh acid-set cheese common in the Indian sub-continent made from full-fat buffalo or cow milk.
With the production of paneer, livestock farmers in the region have already begun cashing in, with the company purchasing 600 gallons of milk daily.
The sod for the project was turned on October 29, 2021.
In April of 2021, Sharma had told this newspaper of plans to establish a milk plant here, as he saw the need not only within Guyana, but expanding throughout the region.
He had informed that plans were that the plant will initially produce 100 gallons per day and that amount could be swiftly bumped up to 800 gallons a day, depending on the supply from farmers.
Under the umbrella of the Amaya Milk Company, Sharma noted that the milk processing facility will be underpinned by the advocacy of renewables and incentivising locals.
And given that Region Five leads the country in cattle farming on the coastland, Sharma disclosed that when he discussed the investment idea with the Ministry of Agriculture, he was advised it would be the best location to set up his facility.
He clinched a lease for land at Onverwagt for the construction of the facility and when completed, the bottled milk produced, under the Mahaica Dairy Milk brand, will go on sale at local supermarkets throughout the country.
At the sod turning, the entrepreneur had explained that he spent 18 years in Canada, 12 in the dairy sector at various levels. During that time, he said, he always wondered: “How awesome it would be to do that in Guyana?”
