GREL TO KICK START BUILDING NEW FACTOY SOON

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Ghana Rubber Estate limited ( GREL) will soon construct a second  rubber processing factory at Apimanim in the Ahanta West of  the Western region to increase  its production and export of processed  rubber.

The project is estimated to cost 25 million euros and will see it completed in 2020.

The new factory forms part of GREL’s initiative to increase rubber production and processing to meet the raising demand of rubber on the global market.

Per  GREL’s record, in 2016 the consumption of natural rubber stood at 9.4 million tons and it Is projected to shot up to 11.9 million tons in 2020 and 14.4 million tons by 2035, making it  necessary for GREL to expand its capacity to enable it process and export more latex to rake in foreign exchange for the country.

In an interview with the Project Engineer, Mr Selassie Zoiku, he disclosed that the first phase of the project  will be completed by the end of October 2017 and by March 2018 the 2nd phase of the project will be rolled out which will be the “actual construction of the project”

“we have begun preparation for the construction of the new factory and currently we are almost done with the earth works alongside we have launched out invitation to tender and reputable have shown interest and by the end of March we will go through the selection process and award the company that meet our technical specification and by the end of march we start the actual construction of the factory”

According to him the new factory when completed in 2019 will have a capacity of 10 tons per hour this will augment the capacity of the old factory since GREL “as gotten to situation where the old factory can’t process all the raw rubber we are receiving from farmers, this is the main reason why we have to build a new factory in addition to the old one….this will help us to process more rubber for export which will then translate into more revenue for the state.

Mr Zoiku mentioned that the project is in line with government’s one district one factory and will create over 2,000jobs for the teeming Ghanaian youths within the region  when it kick start its  full operation.

Ghana Rubber Estate limited, a public –private initiative which produces 16,000 tonnes of natural rubbers and purchases approximately 19,500 tonnes natural rubbers from over 4,000 out growers across the Western Region, Central Region, Ashanti Region and parts of Eastern and the Northern Region process and export 100% of its natural rubber produce abroad, yet, Ghana’s production of rubber on the international market appears to be very insignificant.

Meanwhile, neighboring Ivory Coast is the largest producer of rubber in Africa, producing 50% of the total Africa production while Nigeria produces 11 % of rubber.

This begs for the need   to invest in the rubber industry to increase production of rubber in the country.

BY STEPHEN CUDJOE

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