GMSA makes investment pitch for glass producers

The Guyana Manufacturing Services and Association (GMSA) recently made an investment pitch to visiting Trinidadian companies, asking that they consider venturing into glass manufacturing here.

GMSA President Ramsay Ali told over 30 member companies of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturer’s Association (TTMA) that Guyana will soon be open for business in glass production.

At the regional level, a Trinidadian company that currently supplies glass packaging cannot meet the demands of the entire region.

The company is expanding and the Caribbean Private Sector Organisation (CPSO) recently requested for the taxes on imported glass packaging from outside of the region to be increased.

To avoid paying increased prices for these products, the GMSA reached out to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and secured funding for a study which will determine whether a glass factory can be established in Guyana.

“There is an IDB study right now on the feasibility of a glass plant to produce glass products that study is not very far off and again there is going to be opportunities there for investment,” Ali said.

Ali added that there’s no certainty that local businesses will invest in this area and as the manufacturing associations work to strengthen their bilateral relationship, he encouraged these companies to look to Guyana for investments.

“We can assist with a number of areas with finding the right people to work with [and] the right businesses if you want to start a business here,” Ali told the trade delegation.

GMSA’s former president Rafeek Khan commenced advocating for Guyana to return to glass production in January. It is his believe that manufacturers must take advantage of opportunities that are becoming available in Guyana.