The one-District-one-factory policy was to create an industrial revolution aimed at stabilising the troubled Ghanaian economy.
In the Sekyere Central District, the government performance tracker has marked as completed, a factory to boost maize production.
Th news team visited the area to ascertain the readiness of this factory. Maize farming is the mainstay for most farmers in the district.
The factory was to established to process corn for both local and the international markets. The government tracker says the factory has been completed. Our check supported the claim.
Maize farmers in the district are enjoying the benefit of a maize factory established in Kwadjei community two years ago.
The operation of the factory has improved income levels of the maize farmers by creating access to ready market for their produce.
Maize farmers here have been supplying the factory with raw materials to add value to their produce aimed at reducing post-harvest losses, thus ensuring food security.
The era of post-harvest losses is now the thing of the past, with the coming of this factory. A maize farmer, Fuseini Salifu was happy about the setting up of the factory.
According to him, the factory has helped improve on their livelihoods.
“We have ready market now with the coming in of the factory. Their price too is good. We are of the view that government would do everything possible to ensure the sustainability of the factory,” he said.
It took the government two years to complete the factory at a cost of GHS 6.7million.
Currently, the factory processes 32 tonnes of dry maize and 62 tonnes of maize grits per day.
Over six hundred farmers are supplying the factory with the raw material.
The Administrative Manager of the Sekyere Maize Processing company Limited, Desmond Ansah, debunked media reports that they have not started operation.
He confirmed to our news team that they started operation last year and everything is going on smoothly.
“The factory has offered employment to over 200 young people in the area. We are hoping to recruit more people from the area as we expand our operations. We have good working relationship with the community and the maize farmers here,” he added.
About seventy thousand acres of land have been earmarked for the project to ensure sustainability.
Produce from the factory is serving as a major source of raw material input for many processing companies in the food, beverage and poultry sectors.
By Benjamin Aidoo
