The Manager of the Ekumfi Fruit Processing Company Ltd., Frederick Kobina Acquah, justified the reasons for the delay in the construction of the first of the government’s many factories to be built across the country.
Locals started having concerns some five months after breaking ground, accusing the government of deserting something they started and raising the hopes of Ghanaians only to dash them.
Speaking to Ghanaweb on the issue, Mr. Kobina Acquah explained that the government is holding to its promise to fully begin operations at the factory. But it is also putting the right measures in place to avoid a repeat of the Komenda Sugar Factory situation, where the factory had to be shut down for lack of raw materials.
He believes the raw materials - pineapples, in this case - should be grown first so there will be enough for production when the factory begins full operation. “If you are putting up a factory of this magnitude, you want to be sure of your raw material supply. While waiting for the funds, we started our outgrower scheme, where we are putting together about 5,000 outgrowers who are going to grow two-and-half acres each. Because pineapple has a gestation period of between 12 and 14 months.
