Former Majority Leader and Suame MP, Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, has slammed any plans to reinvest in the troubled Komenda Sugar Factory, calling it a “prodigal waste of resources” and raising serious concerns about its viability.
In a candid interview on Abusua 96.5FM, the seasoned politician didn’t hold back, painting a grim picture of the factory’s future. He highlighted the loss of significant land initially allocated for the project, with traditional leaders reclaiming about 20% of the area. “When the Komenda Sugar Factory was operational, about 20% of lands at the site is gone; the chiefs have taken over, leaving only about 75%,” he explained.
But the land loss is just the tip of the iceberg. Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu pointed out that former outgrowers who once supplied sugarcane to the factory have since switched to palm plantations, further reducing the available land. “When the factory came to a standstill, all the outgrowers converted their lands into palm plantations, so the small land left cannot feed the factory,” he noted.
The Suame MP also raised alarm bells over the factory’s reliance on water from the Pra River, which has been heavily polluted by illegal mining activities, known locally as “galamsey.” He questioned how the factory could function under such dire conditions. “What water are we going to use for this work? The water has been polluted by illegal mining. Are we going to make the water clean before we use it?” he asked pointedly.
Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu further argued that purifying the polluted water would add substantial costs to the project, making it economically unfeasible. “Because of galamsey, all the water bodies have been destroyed, and you need to purify it. There’s nowhere in the world where irrigation water is purified before use. Even if you do that, it will bring another cost,” he stressed.
He also painted a bleak picture of the potential health risks, suggesting that the sugar produced could be deemed unwholesome due to the contamination of the water supply. “The most dangerous thing is that all the fishes in the Pra River are dead because of poisonous chemicals in the river. Even if you are able to purify the water at that huge cost for irrigation, the poisons which have killed the fishes are still in the water and will feed into the sugarcane,” he warned.
Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu didn’t mince his words, insisting that any attempt to revive the factory would be a monumental mistake. “When you’re done producing, the Food and Drugs Authority will come and tell you the sugar is not wholesome. Does it make sense to go ahead with this?” he quizzed.
He clarified that these are his personal opinions and not the official stance of the government. “I am not speaking for the government, but for myself,” he said, recalling that he had expressed skepticism about the project from the start, even during its inception under the NDC administration.
Meanwhile, Trade and Industry Minister KT Hammond has announced that an India-based firm is set to take over the Komenda Sugar Factory on a lease, with plans to pay the government at least $1 million annually in rent. Whether this deal will breathe new life into the beleaguered factory remains to be seen, but Hon Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu’s stark warning casts a long shadow over the venture.
Source:thehawknewspaper.com