Latest update June 1st, 2026 12:37 AM
Govt. non-payment crippling peanut factory business in Region Nine
Kaieteur News – The Aranaputa Processers Friendly Society peanut-butter factory located at Aranaputa Village, Region Nine, has not been producing peanut butter at full capacity for approximately seven years because the government has failed to pay outstanding sums amounting to $1.2million.
This is according to the Chairperson of Aranaputa/ Upper Burro Burro Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Gillian Rodrigues, who made the announcement on Tuesday during the second day of the National Toshaos’ Council (NTC) Conference.
Rodrigues raised the issue with Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo. She said, “The community has a peanut factory and for some time now, from 2016 to 2020 the factory has not been producing peanut butter. Reason being is because the factory is saying that the Ministry of Education owed them from 2016 to March 2020, $1,220,160.”
The Chairperson explained that those in charge of the factory’s operations are asking the government to make the outstanding payment, “So they can have their factory up and running.”
In response to Rodrigues, the Vice President said that the payment will be made so that operations could resume at the factory.
Chairperson of Aranaputa/ Upper Burro Burro Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Gillian Rodrigues.
“We will have to do it because APNU left a lot of bills in many places, even before you leave we will pay it. If that is what it will take to put you back in production we will pay them the money, okay,” Jagdeo promised.
After raising the concern at the conference, Rodrigues told Kaieteur News that the money owed to the factory is for supplying snacks to the Aranaputa Primary School over the identified period.
It was reported in the media that the factory supplied the snacks through the National School Feeding Programme.
The Aranaputa Village peanut butter factory.
When asked about the present status of the factory’s operations, Rodrigues related that the factory is operating when it can afford raw materials to process peanut butter.
This factory, Kaieteur News understands was opened back in 2010.
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