Member of Parliament for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has raised critical concerns about the future of the Komenda Sugar Factory, particularly regarding the heavily polluted state of the Pra River, a crucial water source for the factory’s operations.
Trade and Industry Minister Kobina Tahir Hammond revealed that an Indian company set to lease the Komenda Sugar Factory for 15 to 20 years will pay the government at least $1 million annually in rent.
The former Majority Leader questioned the practicality of reviving the sugar factory when illegal mining, known as galamsey, has rendered the river’s water unsafe for agricultural use.
“River Pra is polluted, will galamsey water be fed to the Komenda Sugar Factory?” Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu asked during an interview on AbusuaNkommo at ABUSUA 96.5 FM.
He pointed out that illegal mining has severely contaminated the river, making it unsuitable for the irrigation needed to support sugarcane farming.
“If you go anywhere they grow sugarcane, you will need irrigation water to feed the farms… What water are we going to use for this work? The water has been polluted by illegal mining.”
The MP also noted that, beyond pollution, the factory faces a serious shortage of operational land. When the factory initially opened, it relied on local out-growers to supply sugarcane.
However, many of these farmers have since converted their land to palm plantations, leaving little land available for sugarcane cultivation.
“When the factory came to a standstill, all the out-growers converted their lands into palm plantations, so the small land left cannot feed the factory,” he explained.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu emphasized that any attempt to use the polluted Pra River would significantly increase the costs of reviving the sugar factory.
He stated that purifying the river water for irrigation would be necessary, but costly and 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 you use it. Even if you do that, it will bring another cost.”
The MP also expressed grave concerns about public health risks, stressing that the contamination from illegal mining has left dangerous chemicals in the river that could taint the sugarcane, ultimately making the sugar produced at the factory unsafe.
“The most dangerous thing is that all fishes in the Pra River are all dead because of poisonous chemicals in the river,” he said. “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 further cautioned that the Food and Drugs Authority would likely deem any sugar produced at the factory unwholesome.
“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?”
While Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu clarified that he was speaking in his personal capacity and not on behalf of the government, he reiterated that these concerns are not new.
He recalled warning against the potential failure of the Komenda Sugar Factory when it was first launched during the NDC