Bonasika bauxite production in `soft phase’

Executives of First Bauxite/Guyana Industrial Minerals and the government delegation comprising then Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo cutting the ribbon to declare the mine open last year. (DPI photo)

With production pegged last year between 100,000 and 150,000 tonnes of bauxite, President of Guyana Industrial Minerals (GINMIN), a subsidiary of United States-based First Bauxite (FBX), Elliott Lincoln says operations remain in a “soft production” phase, a year after the mine and processing plant were commissioned at Bonasika in Region Three.

Speaking with Stabroek News in an exclusive interview, Lincoln on Thursday explained that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted their plans to increase production and forced the company to make decisions in the best interest of their employees.

“We started production at the beginning of last year but it was a bit of a soft production because as soon as we started, COVID-19 hit. COVID-19 was a very significant brake on the industry globally 2020, and that affected us because we couldn’t have been as active as we would have hoped,” said Lincoln as he provided an overview of operations.

He added further that with the pandemic, they had to restructure the way they conducted operations and like many firms they had to operate on a skeleton staff to keep operations going. Lincoln pointed out that due to the restructuring, the amount of ore produced and processed was “significantly below in what we have hoped for.”

“In the early days of any business you make your best guesses and make your budget on predictions and hope for the best,” the president of the firm said. He added that as a newcomer to the market they were tasked with finding their footing in the global industry and navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have had challenges in supply logistics because firms were not operating regularly and we could not have imported equipment and parts as we wanted. It was difficult too on the demand side. There has been significant contraction for the products we make right across the entire industry,” he explained.

Nonetheless, Lincoln said they remain “cautiously optimistic” that there is scope for growth, sales and production along with new markets. He noted that as they seek to establish and position themselves as a supplier on the international scene, they are continuously pursuing new markets.

He stressed too that they are also monitoring opportunities to add value to the ore produced.

He also said that the company is committed to adapting to Guyana’s Local Content Policy as they have been working with several companies here. He disclosed that the company currently has 150