The Board of the Komenda Sugar Factory has disclosed that it will import raw sugar to supplement locally produced sugar in order to bring the Komenda Sugar Factory into operation.
President Akufo-Addo informed the chiefs and citizens of Komenda that the factory will be functioning by April of this year.
The President’s deadline has passed, and villagers and sugarcane growers in Komenda and its environs are concerned that the government is not adequately addressing the factory’s difficulties.
In an interview with JoyNews Tracker, Solomon Ebo Appiah, Board Member and Municipal Chief Executive for the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abirem Municipality, explains that the plan for the operationalization of the sugar factory is to import unrefined sugar to supplement what the local farmers will produce.
“We are taking a different approach than the previous administration.
“We are importing non-consumable raw sugar to supplement what the rural producers will generate to run the business,” he explained.
According to Mr. Ebo Appiah, the present system will continue for three years, or until sufficient raw materials are produced by the plant and supported by the output of the farmers.
The Komenda Sugar Factory was built as an import substitute, and farmers claim that importing raw sugar to refine it will be more expensive and, more crucially, contradict the factory’s objective.
The farmers are concerned about the government’s plan to import unrefined sugar and refine it at the Komenda Sugar Factory, as they have not been engaged and assisted in the provision of raw materials.
According to them, the lack of involvement with sugarcane farmers in order for them to cultivate the factory’s raw materials is concerning. Meanwhile, the government has initiated painting the factory and repairing broken equipment.
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