Mr. Alan Kyerematen, the Minister of Trade and Industry, has informed Parliament that the Komenda Sugar Factory is projected to undertake a production test run by the end of July 2022.

“The Factory is undergoing major retooling and repair work and is about 98 percent complete”.
Mr. Alan Kyerematen

Mr. Kyerematen made the revelation on the floor of Parliament in his response to a question by Mr. Yusif Sulemana, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bole-Bamboi, who wanted to know from the Minister about the state of the Komenda Sugar Factory.

The Minister, in his account of the state of the factory, said the installation of a new pipeline to and from the plant to the molasses tank is 100 percent complete, adding that refractors and lagging work in the boiler furnace and chimneys are 100 percent complete.

He said vacuum and water testing at the boiler house have been completed, and the boiler started working. At the same time, a steam pressure test is ongoing for the turbine to generate power of 3-megawatt (MW) electricity output.

The factory’s equipment and machinery at the Millhouse, Boiling House, Boiler and Powerhouse sections have all been overhauled, repaired and components replaced where necessary, said the Minister.

Negotiations underway to start a sugarcane nursery

The Minister said sandblasting to remove rust and prevent further corrosion of equipment to maintain the integrity of all mental surfaces at the factory has been completed, adding that the construction of a new chemical storage warehouse, new canteen, and new washrooms for both genders are ongoing.

He said a new warehouse for raw sugar jumbo bags of one ton to 5,000 tons capacity for storing sugar is ongoing, stating that new baggage carrier platform construction work is complete.

Mr. Kyerematen said the turbine for electricity production has been overhauled and is under production test.

The Minister said four acres of nursery land have been prepared for the cultivation of sugarcane to support sugarcane development in the catchment area, adding that there were further plans to expand it to 500 acres after the commencement of operations.

He said in addition to the above, the Board of the Company is finalizing negotiations with traditional authorities to secure about 20,000 acres of land required for the plantation development in Sekyere Obuasi and Sekyere Hemeng in the Wassa East District.

Komenda Sugar Factory was to start operation in April but delayed

In a recent interview, The Board of the Komenda Sugar Factory announced that it would import raw sugar to support what will be produced locally to operationalize the Komenda Sugar Factory.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo assured the chiefs and people of Komenda that the factory was be operational in April this year.

However, the deadline given by the President has elapsed, and residents and sugarcane farmers at Komenda and its environs are worried that the challenges of the factory are not being tackled well by the government.