'Komenda sugar factory is like a poultry without birds'

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Komenda-Edina-Equafo-Abirem (KEEA) Municipality has likened one of the main acclaimed achievements of the erstwhile John Mahama administration, the Komenda Sugar Factory to a poultry with no birds.
Commissioned seven months to a crucial election by former President John Dramani Mahama, the Komenda Sugar factory became a sour point of controversy over its viability after some traditional pomp.
Then opposition, NPP described it as a vote-buying ploy and one that would produce more propaganda than sugar.
But the Mahama government stayed the course, defending the project touted to create 7,000 direct and indirect jobs in one of Ghana’s poorest regions, the Central region.
It was explained, 60% of the needed sugarcane will bought from farmers within the catchment area and 40% will be supplied by the company’s own farms which had reached nursery stage.
After pushing out some sugar, the factory inaugurated on May 30, 2016 was shut down by June 24. A move explained as routine maintenance.
A promise to get the factory operation in October was postponed to November until a change in government in December ended any further assurances from the Mahama administration.
The NPP upon assumption of power, the MCE said also came to meet a white elephant in Komenda called sugar factory.
“The factory is like a poultry or hen coop without birds…there is no farm to feed it because they (previous administration) didn’t provide the farm for the harvesting of the sugarcane to produce the sugar,” he said on Adom FM’s Morning Show, ‘Dwaso Nsem’ on Friday.
The problems facing the factory, he said, started from the commissioning as it couldn’t produce sugar for commercial purposes.
“There was problem even with the test run, it couldn’t produce even a handful full of sugar or sugar that can be tasted with the finger…,” he said.
The MCE of KEEA, has however called on his people not to lose hope as according to him, the NPP government has a plan in place to ensure that the factory starts operating.
“The NPP government will do all in its power to make the factory work again…I will appeal to the people of KEEA to exercise some restraints as the government is putting in place measures to revive the factory and it will start working by a year’s time…,” he assured.