GMSA supports call for 100% locally produced bottled water

Mar 22, 2026 News

– says initiative could reduce imports by $150M

(Kaieteur News) – The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), along with local bottled water manufacturers, is supporting the call to achieve 100% locally produced bottled water in Guyana, stating that potential reduction in imports is estimated by GY$150 million.

GMSA in a statement on Friday said that its representatives along with Water Manufacturers have engaged Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, Deodat Indar and the leadership of the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI), to discuss opportunities and challenges within Guyana’s water manufacturing sector.

The Association said it welcomes President Irfaan Ali’s initiative to achieve 100% locally produced bottled water in the country.

“The association highlights this as a strategic move towards self-sufficiency, estimating a potential reduction in imports by around $150 million, which would bolster the local manufacturing industry and foster economic growth,” GMSA explained.

During the engagement, GMSA emphasized the need for a unified approach among stakeholders and regulators to uphold consistent standards.

“The meeting also provided a platform for dialogue on key areas impacting the sector, including production and distribution issues, policy measures, investment incentives and quality assurance and regulatory compliance,” GMSA detailed.

Further, GMSA said it is dedicated to collaborating with the government and all industry stakeholders to enhance the local bottled water industry with heavy focus on quality and global competitiveness.

Kaieteur News reported back in February that during the commissioning ceremony of the Bartica Water Treatment Plant, President Ali mandated that all locally consumed water must be produced locally in 12 months.

The President said that Guyana cannot be a resource rich country in fresh water and be importing bottled water. The head of state said too that the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation must work with the private sector to ensure that the water consumed locally is produced here and at a reduced cost.

“This ministry must therefore set aside on a target of ensuring that all our water consumed locally is produced locally in the next 12 months. Whether we have to collaborate and we must collaborate with the private sector to ensure that they build up their capacity and capability. Every entity don’t need to have a bottle blower. We can have one entity to produce all of the plastic bottle at standard size across the country, so that we have economies of scale. So, we have to look at all the verticals and to see how we can have economies of scale at every level so that we can bring down the cost of water,” he explained.

President Ali disclosed then that officials at the GWI assured him that they can economically bottle water and sell it for $100 or less.

“What we have to do is work with the private sector to see how we can actualize this, so that a country that is known as the land of many waters can have the cheapest water available to its people, and that is what we have to do,” he said.

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bottled water, Deodat Indar, GMSA, GWI

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