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The government says an additional GH₵38 million is needed to fully operationalise the Walewale Watermelon Factory, which remains idle months after its official commissioning in November 2024.
The facility, built by Champion Foods and Beverages with support from Ghana Eximbank under the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative, was intended to address post-harvest losses among watermelon farmers in Walewale and its surrounding areas.
Despite its commissioning by then-Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the factory has not yet begun operations.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, July 8, Minister for Trade, Industry, and Agribusiness, Elizabeth Ofosu Agyare, explained that the GH₵38 million is urgently needed to complete the facility and begin production.
“As of now, the amount they need is GH₵38 million, and I am working with Exim to ensure that we help them with that fund. The factory has not produced the juice yet. The factory is not ready yet,” she told Parliament.
She also revealed that the current structure is only capable of producing concentrate, and a second facility is needed for bottling.
“There needs to be a second factory before we can say that the factory is being operationalised because that factory is solely for the production of concentrate. We need the bottling factory to be established. That factory is not ready, and I don’t know what it was commissioned for,” the Minister added.
