VEEP CUTS SOD FOR SHEANUT PROCESSING PLANT AT BUIPE (NOV 23, PAGE 55)

THE Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has cut the sod for the construction of a $10 million ultra-modern Shea-nut Processing Plant at Buipe in the Central Gonja District of the Northern Region.
The project, which is expected to be completed by June, next year, would process shea-nut into sheabutter and other derivatives. The facility when installed would process 30 tonnes of sheanut daily.
The Brazilian Company, LDS Machinery and Equipment Limited, is constructing the facility while the Sysgate Limited, another Brazilian company, would market the products from the plant.
The plant is strategically located at Buipe to enable the PBC to buy shea-nut from the three northern regions as well as the northern fringes of the Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and the Volta regions.
It is also envisaged that when the project becomes fully operational, it would enhance the economic fortunes of farmers, gatherers, collectors and agents in the shea-nut industry in northern Ghana.
The Vice President announced that the presidency was sending a proposal to the Ghana Cocobod to facilitate the establishment of a Sheanut Marketing Board, with its headquarters to be located in any part of the three northern regions.
“We hope to create jobs when the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) becomes operational within the first quarter of next year”,Mr Mahama observed.
According to him, under the SADA, two firms in Sweden and India were prepared to help produce ethanol from sugarcane and jute respectively.
He further urged the youth in Buipe to take advantage of the facility to improve on their lot.
The Vice-President expressed regret that between 30 and 35 per cent of available shea-nut were picked for processing, leaving about 70 per cent to rot or be destroyed by bush burning.
The Regional Minister, Mr Stephen Nayina, stressed the need for substantial investment to maintain the shea trees.
He noted that the drudgery and crude methods involved in the extraction of shea-nut did not make the venture attractive to the youth.
Mr Nayina equally entreated managers of the plant to float shares to enable the local people to own shares in the factory.
The minister further entreated chiefs in the area to release land for such viable ventures.
The Managing Director of the Produce Buying Company (PBC), Mr Anthony Osei Boachie, stated that the PBC purchased 120,895 bags of sheanut for export.
“Over the past eight months there have been a series of business discussions between the PBC and agents of a Brazilian Company, LDS Machinery and Equipment Industrial Limited, to acquire a state-of-the-art processing plant to process sheanut”,he said.
According to Mr Boachie, the PBC had set up a subsidiary company to be known as PBC-Shea Limited. At full capacity the plant would process 100 tonnes of shea-nut daily with a life span of 30 years.
The Brazilian Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Luis Fernando Serra, said the facility was a clear manifestation that existing relationship between Ghana and Brazil had gone beyond south-south cooperation to south-south integration.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Finance and Administration, Mr William Mensah, said Ghana Cocobod had provided 2000 solar streetlights for sheanut picking areas of the north.
The Vice-President and his entourage later inspected work on the Savannah Cement Factory.