The Corporate Affairs Director at the Komenda Sugar Factory Ransford Vani-Amoah has revealed that activities of illegal miners will not affect the supply of raw materials for the Komenda Sugar factory.
According to him, the factory has enough supply of sugarcane from different sources apart from the immediate environs of the factory which has been destroyed by illegal miners.
“We are having farmers calling us from even Eastern Region, Asamankese and the Akyiase areas who are all willing to supply us with canes and we are dealing with them,” he said.
His assertion comes after the Trades and Industry Minister Ekwow Spio Garbrah stated that activities of illegal miners are threatening the smooth operations of the Sugar Factory.
Dr. Spio Garbrah added that illegal miners have destroyed all lands in the area, making it impossible to acquire fertile lands to cultivate sugarcane for the factory.
But speaking to Bernard Avle on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Vani-Amoah stated that even though illegal mining activities is destroying the area, it has not affected the Komenda Sugar Factory in any way.
“I am aware of this and the management is aware of this activity. The factory is situated in Komenda which is the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrim but our out growers are not only situated in the municipality of KEEA. We have three main divisions where we are getting our raw materials from.” he stated.
“When you go to the Ankobra area that is where we identify where some illegal miners or galamsey activities are disturbing farmers in that area of which the farmers have complained. So if the Minister made mention of that then he was right, but we are not getting all our sugar cane or all our raw materials from Komenda itself, but we are getting from other areas.”
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