ADVERTISEMENT
Ayensu starch factory back to life
The re-opening of the factory follows the commissioning of the Komenda Sugar Factory which is expected to provide 7,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The revived Ayensu Starch Factory is a partnership between wholly Ghanaian-owned company --Tiberias Company Limited -- which owns 70 percent of shares and the government of Ghana owing the rest.
“This factory supports government’s drive toward aggressive industrialisation in the interest of sustained national development," Acting Trade and Industry Minister Hannah Serwa Tetteh said at the re-opening ceremony.
The factory, situated at Awutu Bawjiase in the Central Region, was established in 2002 as a Presidential Special Initiative under the erstwhile kufour administration.
ADVERTISEMENT
However, the factory collapsed due to frequent power cuts, inadequate funding and delayed payment to farmers who supplied the factory with cassava.
The re-opening of the factory also comes at a period the country is reportedly witnessing shortage of cassava.
But Hannah Tetteh said moves have been made to ensure that there is availability of raw materials to feed the factory.
"We can purchase cassava within a radius of 50 kilometres and that is because within 50 kilometres the time that it will take to transport the cassava from the farm base to the factories will allow deterioration of the cassava or affect the quality of the starch," she said.
The factory has a staff capacity of 60 and is expected to provide direct benefit to 1,000 smallholder cassava farmers.
ADVERTISEMENT
In addition, the factory has the capacity to process 22,000 metric tons of cassava starch per annum.
JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!
ADVERTISEMENT
Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:
Email: eyewitness@pulse.com.gh
Recommended articles
Truck driver arrested for allegedly causing train accident on Tema-Mpakadan railway line
Kia driver who caused accident involving Ghana’s new train reports himself to Police
No passenger injured in accident involving Ghana’s newly imported train – Railways Minister
NAGRAT gives govt one-week deadline to address unpaid pensions affecting 700,000 workers
Inside story of how Ghana’s new train got involved in accident on a test run
She sent naked photos to Dubai lover while I battled kidney disease - Erico speaks on divorce
How did young politicians get so rich in just 5 to 7 years - Franklin Cudjoe asks
Artificial Intelligence will affect around 40% of the global workforce — IMF