Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) has reached another milestone in its US$30 million dairy farm project at Moblissa, with a shipment of 473 pregnant heifers arriving late Friday at the Hakh Friendship Port on the East Bank of Demerara.
The arrival marks the first time a dedicated livestock carrier has docked at Port Georgetown to deliver livestock, according to a company release. It follows a foundational shipment of 85 pregnant heifers flown into the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) via a specialised Amerijet charter on May 9 to launch operations for Demerara Dairy Inc. (DDI).
The animals were transported aboard the Danish-flagged livestock vessel MV Alondra, a 97.54-metre-long and 15.9-metre-wide specialised carrier, after being sourced from a farm in Seattle, Washington, and travelling by road to Florida before a seven-day ocean voyage to Georgetown, the company said.
DDL Executive Chairman Komal Samaroo said the shipment marked a significant step for both the company and the country’s agricultural infrastructure. “Building upon our initial air freight shipment in May that established the foundation of our herd, navigating a maritime logistics operation of this scale demonstrates our absolute commitment to realising the full potential of the Moblissa project,” he said. “With these additional high-grade animals safely on the ground at Moblissa alongside our initial stock, we are significantly accelerating our vision to establish a world-class, sustainable dairy operation that will enhance Guyana’s food security and transform our national livestock industry,” he added.
The vessel docked just before 11pm and was processed through health and regulatory inspections led by government agencies, including the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). Following clearance, the cows were transported by road to Moblissa on specialised livestock trucks, with each truck carrying about 23 cows across three cycles, escorted by units from the Guyana Police Force, DDL noted.
The Moblissa dairy farm project is central to DDL’s diversification strategy and aligns with national and regional efforts under the CARICOM food security initiative to reduce the food import bill by boosting local production of fresh milk and dairy products.
