Guyana set to end cement waiver
With TCL’s new US$10m state-of-the-art bagging plant in Guyana now in operation and now capable of meeting local needs, the company was planning to reintroduce the CET on extra-regional cement.
Guyana’s Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad, has indicated that the bagging terminal can adequately supply the cement needs in the Guyana market and therefore “the waiver of the CET can now be reverted.”
The CET was waived to allow the importation of extra-regional cement to meet the short fall in supply. The minister, during a tour of the bagging facility recently expressed satisfaction at the level of production being conducted at the cement terminal. He said that with 1,400 bags of cement being produced per hour at TGI, the plant can meet the substantial and growing cement demand here.
For the TCL Group, the terminal represents a significant investment of over US$10m and helps in pursuing its strategic objectives : continued integration within the region, production capacity expansion and full support of the overall development plans of Guyana and the Caribbean.
TGI plant manager, Mark Bender, noted that “this is a very modern plant and for TCL to invest US $10m in the facility means it must have confidence in the economy and in the Government of the day.” He added “I know that with this kind of investment cement will not be short in Guyana. I know we had problems recently but we are looking forward to the plant providing all the cement we need in Guyana.”
The Minister also applauded TGI for its environmentally friendly operations. He said that “it is commendable that there aren’t any cement emissions during the bagging process.” Bender said the company was committed to ensuring that its cement terminal and packing plant were not harmful to the environment and will continue to work closely with the environmental protection agency to make certain the operation remains safe.
TCL Guyana is a cement bagging facility, which allows for bulk cement manufactured within the TCL Group to be shipped in specialised bulk carriers to the terminal where it is packaged for distribution throughout Guyana. This terminal receives bulk cement shipped directly from the TCL Group’s plants in Trinidad and Barbados.
Published under Cement News
