Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Feb 19, 2023 Consumer Concerns, Features / Columnists
CONSUMER CONCERNS…
PAT DIAL
Kaieteur News – Whenever a new product, especially a good quality food product which is sold at an affordable price announces its advent in the market, consumers feel a sense of pleasure and welcome it. In this offering, we will be addressing such a product – Fresh cow’s milk. Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL)’s subsidiary, TOPCO and an Israeli company, LR Group, have come to an agreement to launch a modern Dairy Industry in Guyana. The lead figure on the Guyana side is Mr. Komal Samaroo, who has proved himself a very fitting successor to the late great Dr. Yesu Persaud. The first products will come on the market in 2024, but consumers are so enthused that they would like to express their appreciation and welcome now.
From the 1850’s until after Independence in the 1960’s, Guyana was self-sufficient in fresh cow’s milk. The Indian indentured immigrants kept cows and always had a surplus of milk which found its way into the distribution chain. By the 1870’s, a number of bigger dairy farmers emerged, especially in the Mahaicony area. The milkmen on their bicycles with two large cans of milk were a common sight on the roads in the early hours of the morning and the late hours of the afternoon, delivering milk to regular customers and selling milk to those who called out to them. There grew a large corpus of stories of the milkman’s trade, many of them humourous; diluting their milk with water, was a common accusation of the milk vendors. The State employed a number of inspectors who were empowered to test any vendor’s milk, to ascertain whether or not it was diluted. Selling diluted milk was a criminal offence and the Magistrate courts frequently heard such charges.
In the 1950’s the State established a milk marketing corporation headquartered at Kingston, which collected milk countrywide and sold fresh milk as well as pasteurized milk in bottles. Though the milk produced was of good quality and was popular, the business failed, largely because of poor management and political interference from the government of the day.
The other industrial style dairy producer was a modest operation established at Bel Air by Bookers; a conglomerate which controlled most of the country’s economy. Though the Bookers dairy produced milk of a good quality and middle-class Georgetown residents bought their milk there, the dairy was not meant to be a full commercial venture, but rather to supply milk to the Bookers’ staff, many of whom were expatriates. With the nationalization of the Bookers holdings after the country became independent, their dairy farm was discontinued.
In the 1960’s, until after Independence in 1966, there were widespread political disturbances, which resulted in the disruption of farming and all other areas of the economy, along with pervasive emigration which inevitably disrupted the diary industry.
From 1970 to the mid-eighties, both fresh milk as well as imported milk became unobtainable, owing to foreign exchange shortage, which meant that very little could be imported. It was only after the middle of the 1980’s, with the advent of the Free Market, that dairy products were again imported.
Milk powders, condensed milk and canned evaporated milk dominated the market. Such milks were imported from various countries including Holland, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany and Belgium and fresh cow’s milk could only be obtained in farming communities which reared cattle.
DDL’s desire to resuscitate the production and sale of fresh milk is therefore a much needed and timely action. As mentioned earlier, the company, through its subsidiary TOPCO, has come to an agreement with an Israeli company LR Group, to rebuild a Guyana Dairy Industry. Negotiations with LR had begun in 2021, but owing to the aftermath of Covid and other circumstances, it is only now that substantive movement has commenced.
The Guyana side is led by Mr. Komal Samaroo, Chairman and CEO of DDL who is known to be one of Guyana’s most thorough and astute businessmen. He does full research and investigations into any venture his company enters. DDL and LR have collaborated on a feasibility study which explored areas such as land selection, market research, financial and technical analysis and the examination of the protocols related to international standards for fresh milk production.
In keeping with the same trend, Mr. Samaroo and team visited Israel and were able to observe dairy farms and related operations such as the drip irrigation technology which could be employed to produce fodder for the cows at all seasons. LR in similar manner visited the International Food Security Conference and Expo held last year, and embarked on a number of field visits and discussions with relevant agencies including Lands and Surveys Commission, Guyana Livestock Development Authority, NAREI and CARICOM and were also accorded an audience with His Excellency, the President Dr Irfaan Ali.
The Project, a state-of-the art Dairy Farm, will be located at Moblissa, Soesdyke, Linden Highway, and will cost US$16 million. Agreements have been reached on the final design of the farm, the expenditure of financial resources, procurement of the first batch of animals as well as the equipment, the shareholding structure of the company Demerara Dairy Inc., and the research that would facilitate the manufacture of value added products.
The Project will bring many advantages to the country. It will once again provide the population with wholesome fresh cow’s milk at affordable prices; it will in time make available by-products such as ghee, butter, cheese and yogurt; allow for important import substitution; strengthen the food security of Guyana and the Caribbean; and it would be able to share in the US$6.billion CARICOM food import market. This Dairy Farm Project is not only in the interest of DDL and its subsidiary DDI and the Consumers, but also in the interest of the Nation as a whole and we look forward to the State’s assistance so that it could quickly grow and contribute to national development.
Jagdeo giving Exxon 102 cent to collect 2 cent.
Apr 25, 2024
By Rawle Toney Kaieteur Sports – The French Diplomatic Office in Guyana, in collaboration with the Guyana Olympic Association and UNICEF, hosted an exhibition on Tuesday evening at the...Kaieteur News – Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, persists in offering... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]