President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has expressed satisfaction with work so far undertaken on the construction of a GH¢36million watermelon juice factory being established at Walewale in the North East Region.
Touring the facility on Tuesday 22nd June 2021 at the commencement of his 2-day tour of the North East Region, President Akufo-Addo visited Champion Foods and Beverages Limited – a wholly Ghanaian-owned beverage manufacturing, distribution and marketing company.
The president was informed that the company is employing the use of PET line technology as compared to Tetra Pack technology, and it is being financed with a facility from the Ghana EXIM Bank.
With minor construction work to be undertaken, President Akufo-Addo was informed that the overall project is 90% complete with offices and staff accommodation at 80% completion, and plant, equipment, and machinery all on site ready to be installed.
Full operationalisation of the factory has been deferred to March 2022, with the company having installed a 10 metric tonnes per hour facility.
It is expected that upon completion the company will create direct employment opportunities for 300 Ghanaians and over 2,000 indirect workers, including farmers and aggregators, to be engaged in an out-grower scheme covering parts of the North East, Northern and other regions of the country.
1D1F Tamana Rice Factory
The President also visited Tamanaa Company Ltd., a rice farming and processing company located in Nasia near Walewale, which is also operating under government’s 1District, 1Factory initiative.
As a result of the support received from government, the company has been able to expand its operations by adding a 250-metric tonne per day rice-milling facility to its already existing 40 metric tonne per day plant.
So far, some 148 workers have been employed; with the company generating a turnover of some US$1.5million annually. The company markets 60% of its rice as parboiled and the remaining 40% non-parboiled under the brand name Nasia Star Rice.
Tamanaa company currently engages over 4,000 rice farmers and aggregators operating in the West Mamprusi, East Mamprusi, Savulugu, Nanton and Mamprugu-Moagduri districts.
