Following a setback due to the global pandemic, the $4 billion Tropical Orchard Products Company (TOPCO) being spearheaded by the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) is set to take off early next year, giving farmers a market for large quantities of cherries, guava and other fruit produce.
DDL, the parent company, hopes to complete the new TOPCO plant by December and start production by the first quarter of next year.
With a plan that will see a demand for nearly two million pounds of various local fruits per annum from farmers when it begins production next year, both DDL and the Ministry of Agriculture see the initiative providing significant revenue for farmers and decreasing unemployment as it boosts entrepreneurship.
