Bono East Regional Minister Kwesi Adu Gyan and his predecessor Kofi Amoakohene being conducted around the factory
A CASSAVA processing factory that is expected to produce industrial starch under the ‘One District One Factory’ (1D1F) initiative and situated at Atebubu Amanten Municipality has started test production.
Full production is expected by July this year, according to owners of the factory.
The factory, Amanten Cassava Starch Processing Factory, when production commences, will process 300 tons of cassava a day and 18,000 tons a week. According to the administrator of the company, Tei Napoleon Mathew, the factory is about 94 per cent complete.
The administrator revealed this yesterday when the Bono East Regional Minister, Kwesi Adu Gyan was conducted around the factory to see progress of work and how the Regional Coordinating Council ( RCC) can assist to make it a success in line with the vision of agro-processing and modernised agriculture.
Conducting the minister around the factory, William Nyarko, a civil engineer explained that when complete the factory will employ more than 3,000 workers including 600 direct workforce and out-growers.
“As at now we have 26,000 acres of cassava ready to start processing and another 26,000 acres land for planting,” he said. He said the out-growers will cover farmers in Sene East and West Districts, Kintampo and other districts in the region.
He said it would create job opportunities for the locals in the ratio of 30 per cent female and 70 percent male. “The plan is that expatriate workers will train locals so that after they are gone the locals can take over to become fully Ghanaian owned,” he assured.
Kwesi Adu Gyan after inspecting the factory expressed satisfaction for progress of work and said it was a dream come true under the 1D1F initiative of the Nana Akufo-Addo-led government.
“It is a gem in the region and we are ready to support them in whatever way for it to be succeed. About 80 per cent of our people in the region engage in agriculture so we need to seriously provide the right environment for production to start as quickly as possible. We need to find ways to improve agriculture in terms of higher seed yield, access to market and capital.
“If we are able to provide ready capital and market, it will attract the youth into it and make agriculture attractive,” he added.
FROM Daniel Y Dayee, Amanten