BY: GODWIN AKO GUNN 

He who doesn't learn from the mistakes of the past doesn't have anything good to offer for a bettter future.

His excellency John Dramani Mahama has taken advantage of the thank you tour in the central region to educate the nay sayers and people who constantly question the reason behind setting up the komenda Sugar factory without first planting the sugarcane. 

During the latter part of the Rawlings era, soya bean was introduced to farmers up north, knowing its commercial and health benefits to the country. It was also to strengthen the bilateral relation between Ghana and Indian. They were going to help us establish a factory to export the beans, and also to serve the local market.

The first phase was to plant the crops, followed by the establishment of the factory. Unlike the sugar factory which had the factory first before the planting.

Soya bean farmers made huge losses when the factory couldn't materialise. Locals were not used to eating soya beans and complained about the long hours it took to cook it etc. 

This was what informed us to establishe the factory ahead of the planting of the sugarcane. We had to build the confidence of the farmers before they move in to do the planting.

The sugarcane for the factory, is not the thine type with little liquid we have locally, but the new breed that can grow as thick as the size of a thigh sometimes.

It isn't surprising that the government intends to privatise this edifice. If you can not plant sugarcane to feed a factory bequeathed to you, how can we expect something better from you.

It will surprise you to note that, as a nation, we spend over $300,000,000 of our foreign exchange to import sugar into this country. We can save our dollars by reducing the importation of sugar, and using the chaff to produce electricity. Its sad where we find ourselves today. 

Today, soyabeans have seen so many uses and its farming has become profitable due to other research people have put in. While the completed sugar factory sits unattended to, because human beings have failed to apply themselves to what is good and needful. Yet they have guts for criticism. 

Happy to hear the former president assure the people of Central region that if this edifice is not sold and the NDC comes to office, the sugar factory will come back to its feet.

We shall overcome 

 Kun fa Yakun