1D1F: Construction Of Multi-Million Fruit Processing Underway @ Trede-Budukwan
The construction of a Multi-million Cedis fruits processing factory under the One District One Factory programme is underway at Budukwan in the Ashanti Region.
The Head of Business Development and Project for Ghana Exim Bank, Mr. Bright Evans Darko said , the fruit processing factory would be one of the biggest factories in the Region.
According to Mr. Darko who was speaking exclusively to Wontumionline.com, farmers in the Bono and , Ahafo Regions cultivate a lot of mangoes but find it difficult to find a means to process them since the fruit processing factories in country are not many.
He said that, the Ghana Exim Bank led by Mr. Lawrence Agyensam and Madam Nana Ama Opoku have provided funding for the construction of the factory to help farmers who cultivate mangoes and other seasonal fruits in large commercial quantities to process their produce.
Mr Agyensam noted that, Ghana Exim Bank financed the project at a cost of Gh¢34m and they are hoping that by October ending the factory would be ready for commissioning.
According to him the machines being installed in the factory are imported from Italy and can process five tons of fruit juice an hour. It can also be used to manufacture tomato paste.
He said that, the bank has supported about 162 farmers who have cultivated about 6,154 acres of mango trees..
“Farmers now suffer less post harvest loses – about 43% of yield goes waste..”
The Head of Business Development and Project for the bank, Mr. Darko said the factory has been established at the right time because the farmers would have found it an uphill task in selling their fruits after harvesting next year.
According to him, they are constructing the factory in order to buy the fruits at the farm gate so they can be processed to prevent post harvest loses.
“Our aim is to process the locally-made mangoes here because the processing factories we have in the country are not many.” He said
Mr. Darko added that, another aim of the factory is to export about 80% of the processing juice.
He said that, most of the juice in the country are imported from abroad and he is strongly of the view that the multi fruit processing factory would put a stop to that.
Explaining further the plans for the company Mr. Darko said “from the onset, concentration will be on satisfying the local market and later aim at the export market.” He noted.
According to Mr. Darko, the factory would employ about 500 people.
For his part the expatriate who is installing the machines , Jexta, said that the installation would be done at the middle of November after which Ghanaians technician s would be trained.
He bemoaned that, the COVID-19 has delayed the installation process at times compelling the manufacturers to occasionally attend to faults virtually.
Also being constructed in the same area is a Jute manufacturing plant with equipment from China.. It is the first of its kind in the country after the collapse of the one constructed in the Nkrumah regime.
This factory is also funded by the Ghana Exim bank
According to Mr. Darko, about 2000 people would be employed adding that, 1500 workers would be working in the factory and the remaining 50 would also be at Nkoranza to cultivate the Kinef seeds.
“The factory can process 60 tons of jute everyday and we are hoping by December this factory would be the major employer in Ashanti.” He noted.
He added, “our aim is to stop importing jute from outside the country. Every year Cocoa imports 40million worth of jute to bag cocoa for the export market.
Kwabena Asiedu, the site supervisor lamented that the COVID-19 has delayed the work for about a month but he is hopeful that the installation of the equipment will soon be completed.