Former Central Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Bernard Kojo Allotey Jacobs has told the Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, that he will not lose his job if he gives the opposition credit for its role in the uplift of the Komenda Sugar Factory.
According to Allotey Jacobs, although it was commendable by the government to secure an investor for the Komenda sugar factory, it is only fair for the NPP to laud the opposition for playing a key role in reviving the $35 million company.
“I am happy the Ministry of Trade and Industry have been able to come up with a strategic way by getting an investor to take over the Komenda Sugar Factory. But I want the government to understand that it was something that was started by Mahama.”
Allotey Jacob’s statement follows discussions on the Kokokro Show concerning the new investors for the Komenda Sugar Factory, which had Allotey Jacobs and Kwamena Duncan as panelists.
According to the Central Minister, after the bidding process to select the best investor for the defunct factory, the Trade Ministry did due diligence on the winning company, Park Agrotech Ghana Limited, while planning sugar policy to sustain the defunct factory.
Something he accused the Mahama government of not doing in terms of plantation, processing, and milling noting that, “If the sugar factory was going to operate (under the NDC), they were going to operate in the dark.”
He, however, ensured that the latest project will not be abandoned by the government.
Allotey Jacobs, on the other hand, argued that it was in former President John Mahama’s plan to keep the factory moving but the plan could not succeed after the NDC lost the 2016 elections.
“President Mahama, Dr. Ekwow Spio Garbrah, I will say started this. Now you are talking about satellite farmers. That is why I say it is good and it will bring life to the people within that enclave. It was part of the government’s plan to keep the factory moving but unfortunately, after its revamp, we lost elections.”
The social commentator still maintains that the NDC deserved some appraisal said to the Minister, “Don’t think commending the previous government will make Akufo-Addo sack you. No, he won’t do that.”
Background
The Ministry of Trade and Industry, in an effort to put the Komenda Sugar Factory in production, has named Park Agrotech Ghana Limited as the strategic investor for the factory.
The Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr. Patrick Yaw Nimo revealed that the cabinet has approved a National Sugar Policy to guide and support the private sector investment in large scale integrated Sugar Development Projects, which include sugarcane farming and milling refining.
The Komenda Sugar Development Company, he said is a prime beneficiary of the policy and also in line with the Government's policy of ensuring that every district has at least one major factory to drive industrial development and provide job opportunities.
According to him, Park Agrotech Limited has been operating in Ghana since 2012 and has planned to invest US$28 million in the Komenda Sugar Factory from 2020 to 2023, out of which US$11 million will be used for Sugarcane Cultivation Development whilst US$6 million will also be allocated for upgrade of plant and machinery and US$11 million for working capacity.
Park Agrotech Ghana Limited he said is a subsidiary of the Skylark Group of Companies from India, which is one of the largest integrated farming businesses in India.
