A pig-processing factory with the capacity to slaughter and process 1,000 pigs per day is scheduled to commence operations by the end of November this year.
The factory, Agro Africa Limited, established at a cost of US$5 million, is located at Asankare in the Asante Akim South Municipality.
Registered under the One District-One-Factory (1D1F) programme, it was partly financed by the government through a credit facility of US$1.3 million from GCB Bank.
Inspecting work on the company on Thursday, Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, noted that the company fell in line with the government’s plan to add value to the country’s agricultural produce to enhance export and reduce import.
He said it was the government’s focus to provide the needed support to young enterprises and stimulate growth in the production of raw materials to feed factories engaged with agro-processing.
This, the minister explained, would enhance job creation and improve lives in rural communities.
He said the ministry had instituted indicators by which companies benefiting under the 1D1F could be monitored and supervised to address operational gaps and make them efficient.
Kwabena Opagya Amoateng, Chief Executive Officer, Agro Africa Limited, said when completed, the factory would have the capacity to process 2,400 pigs per week on an eight-hourly shift.
He said the company would provide direct employment to 250 people on the factory floor in addition to the piggery, with farmers producing a minimum 15 pigs each per week for the company as part of the out-grower scheme.
Already, the company, Mr Amoateng said, had secured off-taker agreements with some frozen food outlets in the country and was currently targeting the sub-regional markets made available by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
In a related development, the minister inspected work on Best Fertilizer Company Limited, a fertilizer and agricultural input-manufacturing company, also at Asankare.
With a production capacity of 300,000 metric tonnes of inorganic and organic fertilisers per year, management said the company would formulate and blend customised fertilisers for specific crops, including cashew, cocoa, coconut, maize, and vegetables
The US$3.3-million factory, which was partly funded by the government through a credit facility from the ADB Bank and registered as a 1D1F company, would provide 250 direct and 470 indirect jobs when operational.
FROM CLAUDE NYARKO ADAMS, ASANKARE
