Addis Ababa, 07 October,2015 (WIC) – The Omo –kuraz sugar development project is relentlessly working to plant sugarcane over 175,000 hectares of land, the Deputy Manager said.
Sugar Plantation Operation Deputy Manager with the project, Abebe Assefa, told WIC that the project is undertaking sugarcane plantation besides engagement on the construction and installation of five sugar factories.
The project so far has covered 11, 200 hectares of land with sugarcane, said Abebe. Effort to prepare adequate size of land for sugarcane plantation and meet the demands of the five factories under this project is well underway, he added.
The Omo-Kuraz sugar development project has provided a hectare of land for each pastoralist people included with in the villagization program of the project to increase economic benefits of the pastoralist community, Abebe noted. This is contributing to the pastoralists by helping them adapt with sedentary agricultural practices and work in collaboration with the agricultural extension workers.
Each pastoralist within the project is allotted 0.75 hectares of land for sugarcane development as an out grower of the project, Abebe underscored. The remaining land, 0.25 hectares, is used for cultivation of maize.
The project has created employment opportunities for people of welayta, dawro and Jinka in addition to residents of Omo zone, Abebe noted. The sugarcane plantation has create jobs for over 7,000 citizens, he added.
Omo-Kuraz sugar factory number 1,2,and 3 have the capacity to crush 12,000 tons of sugar cane per-day,Abebe said. Factory number 4 and 5, each has also the capacity to crush 24,000 tons of sugar cane per day, he added.
The Omo kuraz sugar development project shall have five sugar factories to have the capacity to produce 1, 946,000 tons of sugar per annum when it gets fully operational, Abebe underscored. The five factories also have a total capacity to produce 183, 134 metric cubes of ethanol, he added.