by Stacey Russell

McBRIDE CARIBBEAN LTD could be back in operation by this time next year, at a cost of $12 million.

And the 70 employees who lost their jobs when fire flattened the pesticide plant of the Goddard Enterprises Limited (GEL) subsidiary could regain them.

Last week, GEL managing director Martin Pritchard updated BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY on the restart of the pesticide production plant in Lowlands, Christ Church, saying: "We are going through the Government process now to get approvals and we hope to start construction very shortly."

He said $5 million would be spent on the building and $7 million on equipment and working capital to resume production of air fresheners, insect repellents and fabric softeners.

McBride Caribbean's product line is now in production at McBride in the United Kingdom.

"We had a joint venture with McBride UK and we bought them out several years ago . . . . When the fire took place we asked them if they can produce and fill the void during the reconstruction process," Pritchard said.

Although production in Britain was "much more expensive" and involved transhipment duties, it ensured that "consumers would not lose interest and go use another product", he said.

He indicated that GEL was in the process of ordering equipment and "hopefully we can get up and running at the end of the first quarter of 2009".

The September 3, 2007 fire was "a loss to our country and employees; hopefully, when we get the plant up and running again we can entice them back to work for us", the top executive said.

GEL paid out 70 employees who had to be severed when production did not restart after six months. Approximately 20 of them later got jobs in the GEL group's other segments.