The Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) of the Trade Union Congress has called on the government to as a matter of urgency take proactive steps to revive the Pawlugu Tomato Factory in the Upper East Region.
The Pwalugu Tomato Factory, according to the Union, had a great potential to save the country from spending huge sums of money used to import processed tomatoes as well as create jobs for the youth in the area, particularly in the area of agriculture and agribusiness.
Speaking in Bolgatanga during the Upper East Regional Conference of the ICU, Mr. Morgan Ayawine, the General Secretary of the ICU, appealed to the government to revamp the factory to serve its purpose and boost the local economy.
The Pwalugu Tomato Factory was established by Ghana’s first president Dr Kwame Nkrumah with the aim of processing tomatoes into puree and paste for the local market and for export.
During the time it was in full operations, the factory processed tomatoes from Northern Ghana and some parts in Burkina Faso, reduced the import of processed tomatoes paste into the country and provided employment to many youths.
It also boosted agriculture production especially vegetable farming during the dry season, thereby increasing the income levels of farmers and contributed to the food and nutritional security of the country particularly households in Northern Ghana.
However, the factory has been defuncted for years and successive governments have failed to revamp the facility even after several promises.
Mr. Ayawine said the growing trend of unemployment in Ghana was cause of unbridled youth migration and there was the need to create viable employment opportunities and sustainable industries to create jobs for the youth.
“For the government to realise its economic potential and fulfil the purpose for which it was established, we wish to use this forum to appeal to the government to seriously consider reactivating the Pwalugu Tomato Factory to create employment for the unemployed youth and also save the nation huge foreign exchange used to import tomatoes into the country,” he said.
To boost the operation of the factory, the General Secretary also appealed to the government to also prioritise the construction of the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam to ensure that it provided irrigation services to farmers to engage in all year farming activities.
The Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam has several components including the provision of several hectares of land for irrigation, hydro and solar hybrid power production, flood control mechanism and aquaculture.
The General Secretary also appealed to the government to reduce the 25 percent corporate tax imposed on the rural and community banks and stated that it was imposing huge burden on their operations.
Source: GNA