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It was interesting and revealing when residents of Komenda and workers of new Sugar Factory angered by false reports about the state of the 36.5 million dollar plant, poured out their frustration when Adom FM, an Accra based radio station visited there to ascertain facts on the ground.

The atmosphere was charged as representatives of the two main political parties, the governing NDC and the main opposition party, the NPP joined management staff of the company in a heated debate.

“since the test run started we have paid over 1.5 million cedis to out growers. This is direct money gone into their pockets within the last three weeks. Many suppliers are chasing us and we are excited because the factory is running”…the Accountant at the Factory, Achemidis Avornu lamented as he joined the debated moderated by Host of Adom FM’s ‘Dwaso Nsem’ Captain Smart.

They also revealed that the company is already cultivating a 128 acre plantation while over 1,080 out growers from various parts of the Central region have already been registered to receive high grade hybrid seedlings for planting this rainy season. Besides the Sugar Factory is generating its own electricity, about 3 megawatts following the unreliability of power from the Electricity Company of Ghana.

“We were compelled to give out juice from over 1,200 tonnes of crushed sugarcane to local distillers. It was painful but there was nothing we could do because we needed to clear their storage tanks. The juice fermented and there was no way it could go through the process to crystalize” …Anthony Ndede, a Mechanical Engineer stated.

It was obvious the workers had been desperately looking for a platform to speak their minds and to assure the public production is ongoing contrary to reports that the factory has been shut down and could soon become a white elephant.

Captain Smart was at the plant site to verify a number of issues raised by critics; that is if

·         the plant had been shut down two days after it was commissioned by President John Mahama,

·         there was indeed inadequate raw materials (sugarcane) for production,

·         one of the main engines had been dismantled and sent back to India for refurbishment after a major fault and

·         and whether there is nursery farm nursing seedlings for out growers    

The NPP was represented by its Central Regional Communications Officer, Techie Mensah and Joseph Osofo Mensah, an NDC communicator spoke on behalf of his party.

Barely a week after the commissioning of the factory, Minority MPs held a news conference expressing doubt about the survival of the factory claiming there was no plan for the provision of raw materials. The party’s Director of Communications, Nana Akomeah followed with an agenda insisting the factory had been closed down. But the party shifted that position to demands for evidence of sugar produced when it became obvious the lies had been exposed.

“When President John Mahama commissions an electricity project we all see the light instantly. When it’s a water project, we see taps flowing. All we are asking is, where is the sugar produced. That’s what Ghanaians want to see or hear”..NPP’s Central regional Communications Officer, Techie Mensah argued.

But in a sharp rebuttal, the NDC said NPP cannot keep shifting goal posts.

“The NPP leaders who are praying for the failure of the project must bow their heads in shame. They first asked for canes, then they claimed the factory has closed down and now they are asking for sugar”…NDC’s Joseph Osofo Mensah alias JOPAC retorted.

Mr. Mensah, a former employee of the old Sugar Factory placed on record that Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah commissioned the defunct Komenda Sugar Factory on 16th January 1965 but full scale production begun on 8th September, 1965. Within the period, Mr. Mensah said cultivation was done on large scale on the plantations while the machines were fine tuned.

A Mechanical Engineer, Anthony Ndede rebutted an assertion by the NPP representative that its possible to produce sugarcane from raw materials in a day.

“We weigh the canes, crush, extract the juice, store, boil and pass the solution through a centrifuge to get molasses before the crystallization takes place.  The entire production process may take a week or more”…he explained.

A Biochemist at the Factory, Godson Papasosn Dzemeni assured production is on course especially with the availability of reliable electricity and said the first sugar could be delivered by Friday. He teased critics that sugar production is not like palm oil and challenged critics to visit the plant to see things for themselves and stop spreading misinformation that could create uncertainty among potential out growers.

Other workers witnessing the debate could not their frustration. One of them asked..“Why will some people think we only kick the engines when we hear visitors are coming here. Do they think we don’t have beds at home? If the sugar is produced will it be sold to only NDC supporters? The Indians are working around the clock and they are not here to waste the 36.5 million dollars injected into the factory. Do they think it’s a museum?”

Another joined the condemnation, “What we expect Ghanaians to do is to pray and bring ideas on board. Not sabotage. We have sleepless nights and we can’t wait to see white sugar produced”

Policy Think Tank, IMANI Ghana triggered doubts and the ensuing debate when its Executive Director, Franklyn Cudjoe wrote a long article chastising government of a failed policy what could make the factory a white elephant. IMANI Ghana raised issues about the availability of land, absence of an irrigation project, wondered if out growers could meet demand and asked if raw materials would be imported.

Though government responded with assurances of a 24.5 million dollar loan to facilitate a plantation project on about a 3,000 acre land still available to augment supplies from out growers, critics maintained priorities were misplaced.

General Manager of the Factory, Mr Raul an Indian however said the project is viable and plans are so far on course.

Technical men on the ground explain that production of sugar is in 12 stages and the process is so far at its tenth stage. About 1,000 harvesters have been registered to go to the farms cut canes. 18 Ghanaian engineers are working with the company and over 1,000 more including farmers and farm hands on the 32-acre nursery plantation are at post. The Komenda Sugar Factory will create 7,000 jobs which it begins full production in October this year.