Tana Beles I Sugar Factory has commenced sugar production operations following trial runs. Inaugurated last June in the presence of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD), the factory has the capacity to produce 10,000qtl of sugar a day. However, officials say it will be producing around 200qtl daily for the remainder of the financial year. Construction on the factory, located in Awwi Zone, Amhara Regional State, began a decade ago. It was contracted out to the former Metals & Engineering Corporation (MetEC) at a cost of 235 million dollars. The state-owned contractor was expected to carry out the task in 18 months. However, the contract was terminated in 2018 following significant delays. China CAMC Engineering Co Ltd (CAMCE) then took over the construction. The factory sources its sugar cane from 13,000ha of land in the area irrigated with water from Beles River. Tana Beles is also among the 10 factories under the Sugar Corporation set to be privatised. The Sugar Corporation was established as a state-owned enterprise in 2010 to develop sugar estates and production, including for export markets. Several of its plants under construction have yet to be completed upon schedule, including four sugar plants in Omo Kuraz of the Southern Regional State.
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