MP chastises government over Komenda Sugar Factory

Mr Samuel Atta Mills, Member of Parliament (MP) for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem has chastised government over what he describes as lack of political will by the NPP administration to revive the Komenda Sugar Factory.

According to him, when the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Alan Kyeremanteng was invited to Parliament to answer questions about the sugar factory, he told the House that, they were putting together a management team to revive the operations of the factory.

Mr Atta Mills was speaking to the media in Parliament in reaction to certain media reports that the Komenda Sugar Factory has been shut down.

There were media reports that the Komenda Sugar Factory, set up to provide 7,300 direct and indirect jobs, remains shut, two years after its inauguration.

The Komenda Sugar Factory, built at a cost of $35 million from an Indian Exim Bank facility, was inaugurated by then President John Mahama in May 2016. The factory has the capacity to crush 1,250 tonnes of sugarcane per day.

Mr Atta Mills said when he visited the Ministry of Trade and Industry some time ago, the Deputy Minister, Mr Ahomka Lindsey and some officials of the Ministry assured him that within a year the sugar would factory would be in operation.

He said its therefore a surprise to him that the Komenda Sugar Factory is still shut down, “I don’t know why they are shutting it down” he said.

He said before the NDC government left office they managed to secure a $24.5million Indian Exim Bank credit facility to develop and implement a plantation and out-grower schemes to provide raw materials for the factory.

The scheme was to see the cultivation of some 14,100 acres of sugar cane to feed the plant.

Mr Atta Mills also revealed that as the MP for the area, he intends to call on the Chiefs and opinion leaders to march to the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

He said he also intends to invite the Minister of Trade and Industry to Parliament to answer why they are shutting the factory down.

The MP said the NPP government does not have the political will to continue the sugar factory, saying, if they had they could have added it to their one district, one factory policy.

Mr Atta Mills debunked claims that the farmers in the area would not be able to supply the factory with the quantity of sugar cane needed to operate.

He said already farmers in the area producing sugar cane to supply local alcohol manufacturers, adding that, with the $24.5 million Indian Exim Bank credit facility the government can develop a plantation and out-grower schemes to provide raw materials for the factory.