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Deputy National Communications officer of the NDC, Fred Agbenyo says the NPP is exposing itself by pursuing as desperate agenda to water down the excitement that came with the commissioning of the multi-million dollar  new Komenda Sugar Factory.

He is questioning the authority the largest opposition party has to criticize government when the funfair associated with the HIPC toilets they built is still vivid in the minds of Ghanaians.

Mr Agbenyo who was speaking on Accra based Peace FM’s morning program 'Kokrokoo' Tuesday said the May 30 exercise is not the first of its kind in the country.

“The NPP never ceases to amaze me with their utterances when it comes to the Komenda Sugar Factory. I find it absurd that they have the effrontery to question why government commissioned the magnificent edifice, when Ghanaians witnessed the commissioning of ordinary KVIPS with pomp and pageantry during the Kuffour era. Even that nobody questioned you for undertaking such an exercise,” he noted

The NPP alleged the factory was closed down barely 48 hours after its commissions and is questioning the rationale behind the production plan which includes a 6-month shut down and the viability of the initiative. It accused government of being in a rush with the Komenda project for political propaganda.

But Mr Agbenyo says the NPP’s position is not tenable and that it is normal for such agro-based factories to be shut for periodic maintenance to enhance efficiency and longevity.

The governing NDC insists NPP, knowing very well the political ramifications of the bold initiative intends to fuel apathy among out-growers towards the project.  The Trade Ministry has issued a statement debunking NPP’s claims and says the test run period would rather end by the close of this month for final fine-tuning of machines ahead of the major production season in October.

NPP’s claims were exposed on Monday when news broke about an accident involving persons who had gone to supply sugarcane to the factory. At least one person was reported dead and 40 others sustained injuries.

Management of the company say they will continue crushing over 2,000 metric tonnes of sugar cane received over the weekend while the turbines are being run to produce about three (3) megawatts of electricity.

The factory which has capacity to crush 250,000 metric tonnes of sugarcane annually has one major production phase October/November to May/June. The 36.5 million dollar plant is expected to create 7,000 jobs.

The policy plan for the factory is what is known as ‘backward integration’ project. That is starting with the factory or off taker and developing backward to the raw material, sugar cane farming. With the assurance of a ready market, the farmers are now motivated to cultivate canes for the factory.

Government is also considering mechanized farms to be irrigated with water from the Pra River to produce at least 40 percent of raw materials needed.

Ghana now spends at least 200 million dollars annually on sugar imports, thereby contributing greatly to the weakening of Ghana’s local cedi currency. Government hopes, the import figure will be substantially slashed.

The factory, originally established by Ghana’s first president Kwame Nkrumah in 1960, was closed down in the 1980s after years of mismanagement.

The sugar factory, one of Ghana’s oldest factories, is located in the coastal community of Komenda, near Cape Coast, 144 km west of the national capital. The EXIM bank invested 35 million U.S. dollars while the government of Ghana provided 1.5 million dollars for the construction.