WEANING FOOD DEVELOPMENT

THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT WAS TO ESTABLISH THE CAPACITY AND TEST THE FEASIBILITY OF PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION WITHIN GUYANA OF A NUTRITIOUS WEANING FOOD MADE FROM INDIGENOUS COMMODITIES. AT TIME OF EVALUATION, PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 MONTHS BEHIND SCHEDULE DUE TO UNANTICIPATED DELAYS IN PROCUREMENT AND INSTALLATION OF FACTORY EQUIPMENT. THESE DELAYS WERE CAUSED BY THE NECESSITY TO FABRICATE SOME PIECES OF EQUIPMENT THAT WERE ASSUMED TO BE IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE AND AN INABILITY TO FINALIZE ELECTRIC MOTOR REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PLANT UNTIL OTHER FACTORY EQUIPMENT WAS SELECTED (WHICH, IN TURN, TOOK LONGER THAN EXPECTED). IT ALSO BECAME APPARENT THAT THE IMPLEMENTATION TIMETABLE WAS SIMPLY OVERLY-OPTIMISTIC. BECAUSE OF THE ABOVE EQUIPMENT PROBLEMS AND DELAYS IN THE DELIVERY OF STRUCTURAL STEEL FOR CONSTRUCTION, THE WEANING FOOD PRODUCTION PLANT WAS NOT YET COMPLETED AND FUNCTIONING AT TIME OF EVALUATION. AS THIS OUTPUT WAS DELAYED SO WERE THE SECOND AND THIRD OUTPUTS -- THE PRODUCTION OF WEANING FOOD AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM. LIMITED PRODUCTION, USING EXISTING FACILITIES, WAS TO BEGIN BY 11/79 AS WAS A LIMITED DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM (THROUGH GOG MATERNAL/CHILD HEALTH CENTERS). THE MARKET RESERACH/PRODUCT PROMOTION OUTPUT WAS LARGELY ON SCHEDULE, HOWEVER. THE MINI-MARKETING TESTING AND SEVERAL FEEDING TESTS WERE COMPLETED AS PLANNED. THE WEANING FOOD THAT WAS USED IN THE TEST, "CEREX," WAS VERY POPULAR WITH BOTH BABIES AND MOTHERS. IT WAS LEARNED THROUGH PROJECT PERFORMANCE THAT: (1)WHEN DEALING WITH SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT REQUIRING FABRICATION, EXTRA TIME SHOULD BE ALLOWED FOR AN EXTENSIVE PROCUREMENT; (2)AMPLE TIME AND PLANNING SHOULD BE ALLOTED TO THE PRE-ENGINEERING ASPECTS OF PROJECTS INVOLVING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF PLANT FACILITIES; AND (3)WHEN PREPARING A PROJECT"S TIME-PHASED IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, ONE SHOULD BE LIBERAL IN SCHEDULING ACTION COMPLETION DATES, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THAT THE HOST COUNTRY"S VIEW OF HOW FAST THINGS CAN BE DONE MAY BE OVERLY-OPTIMISTIC.