Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha has revealed that budget 2022 allocates $400M for the transferral of the Enmore Packaging Plant to Albion, the country’s premier estate.
During today’s sitting of the National Assembly, he noted that the entire modernization process to ensure the production of more packaged sugar will cost almost $2B.
The Parliamentarian made the foregoing in response to questions posed by Opposition Member, Mrs. Tabitha Sarabo-Halley who sought to ascertain how much money was utilized from successive budgets between 2020-2022 to restart the Enmore Packaging Plant and on what was the monies spent.
Mustapha noted that the 2020 budget allowed G$4.5 million to be expended on employment and start-up material (including plastics packaging supplies and plant spares) to make the plant operational.
With respect to the 2021 budget, Mustapha said allocations supported operations to the tune of G$94.9 million with 50% of these costs going towards employment. He said the remaining sum was expended mainly on operating supplies for packaging materials.
As to the year to date from January to April 2022, Mustapha shared that G$16.2 million was expended, 90 percent of which was for employment. The remainder was used for packaging materials.
Sarabo-Halley also asked the minister to state how much money has been budgeted this year to aid in the transfer of the plant to Albion. She also enquired about the estimated cost to complete the plant once it has been moved.
Mustapha said the 2022 budget set aside G$400 million to commence the multi-year project to construct the Albion Packaging Plant.
He said too that it will cost $1.9Billion to complete the entire modernization process that was planned.
