General News of Tuesday, 27 February 2018

Source: ultimatefmonline.com

Komenda Sugar Factory has become an albatross - Kwamena Duncan

Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan

The controversy surrounding the Komenda Sugar Factory seems not to be ending soon as central regional minister Kwamena Duncan casts fresh doubts on the readiness of the factory to resume full operations.

Kwamena Duncan explains that the necessary resources needed to support production at the factory have not yet been met.

The comment means that Ghanaians will have to wait a while longer to taste sugar from the Komenda Sugar Factory as the minister indicates the factory is not well positioned to produce sugar for the market.

The factory, he adds has become an albatross on the neck of the new government due to the poor implementation plan put forward by the past government regarding the factory as even the previous administration failed to involve the relevant stakeholders in coming up with the factory.

Speaking to media after a meeting with authorities of the University of Cape Coast where he lauded researchers at the university for coming up with a new breed of sugarcane which could prove most viable in sustaining the sugar factory, the regional minister indicated that the restoration of operations at the factory has been confronted with other milestones such as making of land available for the sugar cane plantation project to feed the factory.

He added however that government is working around the clock to restart operations at the factory not only to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth in the area but also to help the country in cutting down its import on sugar.

A committee, he said has already been set up to work in resolving the challenges inhibiting activities at the factory especially the land issues.

He stressed that the committee has even recommended a collaboration with the Western region to acquire the needed land size to cultivate sugarcane to feed the factory as it will be costly to be importing from other areas.