Tenders open for new Albion Packaging Plant

Tenders have been opened for a new packaging plant at the Albion Sugar Estate, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), as the sugar company moves towards value-added products.
This was announced by Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Sugar Corporation, Sasenarine Singh on Friday.
“We just opened the tender for the packaging plant – the first time since Enmore that we’re bringing a brand-new packaging plant at Albion. We’re moving the sales up the value chain to get better value,” he divulged.
Two years ago, Guyana was getting US$300 per metric tonne. Present day, this number is now US$900 per metric tonne for packaged sugar. The CEO underscored that in raising the value, the company is in a better position to pay its bills independently.
“This is important because GuySuCo has to pay its bills. We can’t be always going and asking for support. We have to figure out a way of paying our bills. That is what is important. We have a five-year strategic plan to move us from point where we are now to a point where we can start paying more of the bills.”
Last month, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha had disclosed that some $400 million had been earmarked for the relocation of the Packaging Plant to Albion in Region Six. The GuySuCo Packaging Plant is being relocated from Enmore, East Coast Demerara, where the facility there is being transformed into a modern oilfield service centre and manufacturing facility.
Back in February, it was disclosed that the Government leased the packaging facility to local company Guysons Engineering, which has partnered with US-based K+B Industries to form the GK+B joint venture that will be establishing the Enmore Manufacturing Facility to cater to the oil and gas sector.
As part of the agreement, the company will have to retain all the workers of the packaging plant and conduct training so that they can be absorbed into the new operations – something which the workers have previously lauded.
According to Minister Mustapha, the new packaging plant at Albion, which will cost approximately $1.9 billion and is a multi-year project, will cater to the production of more packaged sugar which is currently in demand locally.
The Enmore Packaging Plant was shut down under the previous APNU/AFC coalition regime and was restarted in October 2020 by the PPP/C Government.
In 2020, some $4.59 million was expended from October to December that year. This includes $1.56 million in salaries for 42 workers who were rehired to work at the plant and $3.03 million in material costs. The full 2021 year saw another $94.95 million being spent at the packaging plant of which $47.99 million was for employment costs and $46.9 million for material costs. From January to April this year, a total of $16.28 million were expended with $15.8 million being for employment cost, $0.39 million for material cost, and $0.01 million for outside costs. (G12)