Many local soya bean processors in Ashanti Region are gradually shutting down their businesses as the shortage of raw materials needed to feed their industry intensifies.
Already, other industry players have shut down due to the same reasons which have rendered many people jobless.
According to the industry players, foreign companies have penetrated the market and are purchasing the beans from the farmers at a higher price, making it difficult for them to compete.
Our news team in Kumasi have visited premises of two soya beans processing factories to learn at firsthand, the seriousness of the problem. The processors blamed the situation on the high export of the commodity to other countries for higher prices and the effects of the recent dry weather in the northern part of the country.
Soya beans are one of the legumes produced mainly on a commercial basis in parts of Ghana. It is the raw material for industrial processing into cooking oil and the source of protein for poultry and fish, with the Ashanti Region hosting some of the factories. One of them is Vester Oil Mill at Deduako in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region.
It has been in operation since 2007 with a current processing of 150 tons of soya beans a day. It processes the soya beans into both refined and crude soya oil for domestic and industrial uses with the soya meal, which is the byproduct used by poultry farmers as protein-rich meal for their births.
There was no production at the time of our visit with workers doing nothing and the warehouse almost empty.
We gathered that was not the actual level of production on a normal day. With few stocks, the company will run out of stocks next week and customers will find it difficult to get things to buy.
The Chief Executive Officer of Vester Oil Mill, Akwasi Nyamekye, told our news team that the company, with a workforce of 120, both at administration and operations, runs three shifts at optimal production level.
He said for the past three months, production has substantially reduced due to inadequate raw materials.
“What you heard is true. We don’t have raw materials. For the past three months we’ve not been operating. I’ve 2 plants. One mechanical expeller at Aputuogya and here where we’re now at Deduako, another one plant that is designed for 100 tons a day. We also have a refinery where we refine oil here,” he said.
Mr Nyamekye, who is also the Ashanti, Ahafo, Bono and Bono Regional Chairman of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), blamed the shortage on the export of soya beans.
“We have people coming in from other places, especially Indians going onto the market and moping almost everything,” the processor revealed.
He noted that the intrusion has had adverse effects on the local factories, hence, the rampant shutdown of soya bean processing factories.
At another soya beans processing factory, Kwabena Gyasi Oil Processing at Abrepo Akoko Sperse area, our news team noted that there was no production taking place with only the security and the owner at post. The machines were redundant.
The Chief Executive Officer, Kwabena Gyasi, also confirmed that there is shortage of soya beans.
“The workers, for now, we’ve five permanent people. When the raw materials are available, we engage three more hands to help. Now, where’s the raw materials to run? He quizzed.
He said his soybean factory will be folding up in 30 days because of lack of raw materials.
“We deal with machines, and so you need to have raw materials to feed the machines regularly to make them efficient and profitable.
“What has happened now is that most of the volumes [of soya beans] that should be around to assist us to sustain our production has all been mopped up by foreigners so there is none in there for us to aggregate,” he stated.
