After two long years, the Ayensu Starch Factory (ASCo) resumed operations last Thursday with the assertion that challenges that bedevilled its operations have been resolved, chief among them the difficulty of accessing credit - which has now been met with a GH¢2.8 million facility from the Export Development and Investment Fund. ASCo, the first of a number of Presidential Special Initiatives (PSI) to be rolled out in 2004, for the production of industrial starch from cassava, suspended operations to repair its effluent treatment pond, an essential component of the factory, and carry out other modifications to the plant in 2006. The US$7 million Ayensu Starch factory is hopeful of producing at its full capacity of 22,000 tonnes per annum in the next two years, Mr. Kwaku Bonsu, acting Managing Director of the company told the media during a facility visit. It is currently producing 72 tonnes of starch per day. "The factory is back on is feet with all the support," he assured. Bonsu said: "As part of the long-term measures to sustain production, a large stretch of land has been acquired by the company which will be leased to farmers with the understanding that all the produce would be used as raw material to feed the factory. "We want to, as much as possible, control about 70 percent of the raw material supply and leave 30 percent in the hands of others," he said. He explained that the plant, being the first of its kind in the country, was faced with some teething difficulties which needed to be solved, adding that management had resolved all challenges before resumption of operations. "We should have in mind the novelty of the project and think of sustaining the production capacity,” Bonsu said. Ayensu Starch Factory was established seven years ago, it has managed to export only 2,000 tonnes of starch to the European market. Cassava production reached 10.2 million metric tonnes in 2006, due to high demand from both the local and international markets. The PSI on cassava starch deals with the integration of action programmes for cassava starch production and export in Ghana. Source: B&FT