The Secretary of the Board of Governors of Komenda Sugar Company Limited, Ransford Vanni-Amoah, has hinted that the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the 2016 elections Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will be the first to taste fine sugar produced from the newly commissioned Komenda Sugar Factory in October.

Flagbearers of the other political parties will also be tasting the first sample of fine sugar produced from the company. Speaking on news and current affairs programme Ghana Dadwen on Onua FM, Mr Vanni-Amoah said the decision became necessary due to the unending controversies surrounding the company since its commission.

The Minority in Parliament, soon after President John Dramani Mahama commissioned the factory, raised serious concerns about the factory. According to them, challenges that led to the collapse of the Factory some years back still persist, and if not checked, the refurbished facility will collapse again.

The Minority Spokesperson on Trade and Industry, Professor Gyan Baffour, suggested that the Factory with its proximity to the sea, would lead to expensive maintenance cost of the machines. He further argued that the survival of the factory will also be threatened by the need for adequate water for the farms.

He added that the use of galamsey-polluted water bodies for irrigation will have a negative impact on the quality and safety of the sugar cane to be used at the factory.

Another person who raised issue with the Komenda Sugar Factory was leader of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, who said government flouted basic business rules with its strategy on the Factory. Dr. Nduom at a press conference in Accra noted that government’s strategy to finance the establishment of the factory and feed it with raw materials was not well thought-out.

But the Secretary to the Board of told Bright Kwesi Asempa that media houses like Onua FM in Accra, Connect FM in Takoradi and some selected media houses such as Multimedia will also have the privilege of tasting sugar produced by Komenda Sugar Company Limited.

“We want to prove to the entire country that the company is really working, will work and give job to the teeming youth in the Central Region and beyond. When we have our first product we will let those who are saying it will not work, will taste it and testify that we mean business,” he added.

On whether the company has enough materials to rely on, Mr Vianni-Amoah said: “Presently, I can confidently say we have 1080 outgrowers who are supplying to the company and there are others coming from different communities and regions demanding to do business with us, so those who are saying the company will not survive, they are not telling the public the entire truth. It is different thing doing politics and other thing representing the fact.”