<<Print>>

Claims by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to have revived the Pwalugu Tomato Factory (Northern Star Tomato Factory) in Pwalugu have fallen flat on its face as a visit to the premises of the factory by New Patriotic Party Running Mate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and some selected media persons has revealed that the company has totally been abandoned and equipments left to rot at the mercy of the weather. It would be recalled that in March 2010, the NDC administration indicated through its sector Minister, Hannah Tetteh, that it had revived the Northern Star Tomato factory with an investment of $1.7million, adding that the factory was going to operate at full capacity to process 500,000 tonnes of tomatoes a day. The Minister after an inspection tour of the factory in March 2010 even indicated that with the investments yielding so much fruit, the factory was even considering going into the processing of mango and other fruits and vegetables and called on all farmers in the region to go into the production of tomatoes as there is ready market for their produce. Additionally, the NDC on page 7 of part two of the �Green Book� stated that �Pwalugu Tomato Factory (Northern Star) revamped with a minimum capacity of 250 metric tonnes per day.� However, the visit to the factory exposed the sorry state of the factory and its equipments. Not only had the factory been totally abandoned with no management, staff or associated worker in sight, on what was supposed to be a busy working day, but many of the equipment at the factory, which were imported by the former Kufuor government before it left power, have been left in a total state of ruin as they have been subjected to the vagaries of rain and the sun.