Investment Opportunities in the Caribbean - 2024

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE | JAMAICA

NAME OF PROJECT:

ECOAID BIOTECHNOLOGY ORGANIC FARM & CARBONIZATION PRODUCTS

T his project has been in development for four years. We believe that we can demonstrate a green project that can deliver a robust margin from waste and renewable materials and create valuable products for both commercial and residential consumers. We have developed a 2-Phase project with the potential to significantly impact several local industries. Phase 1 is a US$2.5 M investment in an Organic Agricultural and Carbonization plant which will process renewable biomass and agricultural waste into cooking charcoal, biochar as a soil additive, activated charcoal, organic fertilizer/ herbicide/pesticide, animal feed, and a resin which is used as a waterproofing additive to paints and as a wood preservative. It addresses the high cost of farm inputs, reduces the use of chemicals in agriculture, and helps in mitigating the deforestation resulting from the use of hardwood charcoal for cooking Phase II is an optional expansion, and is a US$16 M investment into a micro Pulp & Paper mill - using bamboo to produce toilet paper, kitchen rolls, and disposable dishware for fast food restaurants/supermarkets, with the conversion of the pulping waste into additional organic fertilizer. PHASE I Problems & Opportunities The war in Ukraine and increases in shipping prices have resulted in massive fertilizer price increases worldwide. The overuse of chemical in agriculture has caused pollution of the environment, with pests becoming chemical resistant, and beneficial bird and insect populations being adversely affected.

Harvesting hardwood for charcoal has led to large scale deforestation, with some 2,200 hectares lost annually in Jamaica. 67K Tons of hardwood charcoal are consumed annually in Jamaica, from 268,000 tons of hardwood harvested. Large and increasing import burden on CARICOM countries, draining F/E reserves. Activated Charcoal is used in over 50 industries ranging from water and air purification to cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and even in the Food & Beverage industry. Over 85% of the project’s raw materials are sourced locally, and we address unemployment created by the slow death of the sugar industry. Our project has the potential to benefit farming in CARICOM and associated countries, being able to provide organic agricultural products at prices up to 50% less than currently obtained in the region. PHASE II An optional joint venture company between ECOAID and Shandong Huixiang Patented Papermaking Machinery Ltd. of China. Our Chinese partner has been designing and managing paper pulp and paper facilities for over 25 years. They will acquire up to a 44% minority interest in the Phase II operation and will provide outsourcing management for the installation, commissioning and operations for up to 3 years.

MODE OF INVESTMENT: Equity INVESTMENT AMOUNT (USD): $1,500,000

CONTACT PERSON: Ms. Tonya Cummins | E: tcummins@carib-export.com

Climate Change and the high price of agricultural inputs are resulting in reduced crop yields.

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