Namilco targets Brazilian market

Plans in place to build bond in Lethem despite condition of road- Afeeze Khan

The National Milling Company feels that the necessity to build the bond at Lethem is still there, as the market in Brazil has further expanded. At a Press Conference n Tuesday, Marketing Consultant Afeeze Khan and also Financial Controller of NAMILCO, Autamaram Lakeram said the demand for flour by Brazilian bakers from NAMILCO has risen. Lakeram said presently, 2,200 bags of flour are supplied to the Boa Vista community on a weekly basis.

According to Khan, the market is expanding. He noted that with the condition of the Lethem road, the company takes a risk to transport flour and as such a bond built in Lethem will eliminate this risk for loss. Khan further stated that if the bond is built, then all that has to be done is to transport the flour across the Bridge into Bon Fin then into Boa Vista.

Khan addressing the media said that the Brazilian market was initially not easy to transition to; since the company had to change the image, packaging, and language on the packets of flour to appeal to the Brazilian customers. This he noted was a huge investment. Khan further stated that the NAMILCO flour was of a superior quality to that produced in Brazil. He said officials on a visit here to Guyana for a Bakers Seminar went to visit bakeries using the Thunderbolt flour, “which has made quite an impression on the Boa Vista Bakers.”

Recently the Government issued licences to allow persons to import and mill flour. However the marketing consultant said he was confident that NAMILCO’s products will stand out. He pointed out that NAMILCO has established brands that are distributed nationwide and the company does not discriminate against prices. To date he noted, the company has not been affected.
Meanwhile some 40 bakers across the country will benefit from a Seminar to be conducted on Thursday with officials from the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) and the Canadian International Grains Institute (CIGI).

Operations Manager of the National Milling Company (NAMILCO) said that the Seminar will seek to highlight the benefits to be derived from using Canadian wheat, address issues faced by bakers and seek to help bakers increase their production and efficiency.
The Team comprised of Director of CIGI Larry Taylor, Lisa Nemeth of CWB, Maximillian Breslauer of CWB, and Yvonne Supeene of CIGI. CIGI Director, Larry Taylor said that Canada was proud to be associated with international customers like NAMILCO.

He noted that Canada produces the best wheat and customers can be assured that they get the best quality as the standards for exporting are very high. Canada exports some 80% of the wheat it produces.
CIGI is a partner of CWB and is engaged in research and technical assistance to Customers, particularly bakers.

Among its other activities are Education Programmes, market support, research and surveys on food products and how to improve them. Yvonne Supeene, a commercial baker with CIGI said the Seminar to be held on Thursday will give an ear to the challenges faced by bakers. She noted her satisfaction with the bakers in Brazil.
Since the collaboration with NAMILCO and CWB, Guyana has bought more than 200,000 metric tons of wheat from Canada. Lisa Nemeth of the Canadian Wheat Board said CWB was grateful for the opportunity to meet bakers.

The Canadian Wheat board is the largest wheat and barley marketer in the world. One of Canada’s biggest exporters, the Winnipeg-based organization sells grain over 70 countries and returns all sales, revenue, less marketing cost to farmers. Western Canadian wheat is recognized around the world for its quality and consistency. The expertise of 75,000 farmers ensures western Canadian wheat is the standard of quality.

The Canadian International Grains Institute is a non- profit market development organization with a vision to be the recognized leader specializing in offering continuous advances in Canadian field crop products to the world. Core funding is provided by Agriculture and Agra-food Canada and the Canadian Wheat board. Additional funds and support are provided by other sectors of the agriculture industry.