The Iranian Minister and other officials consuming the drink
The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in partnership with the Government of Ghana, has inaugurated a juice processing factory at Asamankese in the Lower West Akim Municipality of the Eastern Region.
Sunhaverst Juice Processing Factory will produce canned fruit juice, vegetables, among others, for the local and international market.
It is expected to create jobs for the youth as part of efforts to bolster the Akufo-Addo administration’s industrial and infrastructure development agenda.
The commissioning of the project would herald a new wave of cooperation between Ghana and Iran which would boost the economies of the two countries.
The juice factory is an initiative of Gifty Klenam, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Export Promotion Authority and her business counterpart from Iran, who led the Minister of Agriculture of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mahmoud Hojjati, to officially commission the factory as part of the ‘One District, One Factory’ flagship programme.
The Minister of Agriculture of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mahmoud Hojjati, led a delegation to the Vice President Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, ahead of the 6th session of the Ghana-Iran Permanent Joint Commission for Cooperation.
Prior to the trip of the Iranian Agriculture Minister to Ghana, Vice President Dr Bawumia visited Iran in August 2017 to sign agreement with the Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani during his inauguration, for the construction of factories in the country.
Gifty Kleman, in her address at the short but colourful ceremony, which was graced by the chief of Asamankese, Osaberima Adu Darko said, “It is with exceptional pride that I stand before you today to tell you a story of humble beginnings of a lifetime dream that began in a tiny kitchen with a food blender. After five years, Sunharvest is a full-fledged fruit processing factory.”
She disclosed that “Given the magnitude of two countries’ population, which stands at more than 107 million, huge markets and potentials of our economies, there still exists great opportunities for us to cooperate with each other. It is my view that Ghana and Iran should make efforts to diversify our economic cooperation by expanding the scope of cooperation.”
“The vision for this project however far exceeds the processing of fruits. Sunharvest, together with our Iranian partners, through this project, plans to augment the efforts of the government of Ghana in adding value to both fruits and vegetables to attract premium value on the local and export markets, as well as create the much-needed jobs for the youth,” she underscored.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfour, on his part, called on the people in the region, especially the youth, to go into the cultivation of fruits to supply the fruits processing companies that are being established in the region.
The Minister of Agriculture for the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hon Mahamoud Hojjati, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to partnering Ghana in all sectors of the economy.
From Daniel Bampoe, Asamankese