The Wenchi Traditional Council has strongly appealed to the President of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to initiate the revival of the Wenchi Tomato Factory (Tomacan) and the Wenchi Animal Husbandry before his time in office is over.
To add, the Council has implored the Government of Ghana to make available the resources and logistics needed for the operational activities of the Wenchi Farming Institute.
The Chief of Koase, Nana Owusu Ansah Sasraku Besseah II, made the appeal when the Bono regional Minister, Justina Owusu-Banahene, paid a courtesy call on the council as part of her working visit to the Wenchi Municipality.
He expressed the hope that the revival of the factory and resourcing of the Institute would help create jobs, strengthen the Wenchi Municipal Assembly’s operations and improve its revenue mobilization drive.
The Wenchi Tomato Processing Factory is known for the processing and packaging of vegetables such as tomatoes, okra, garden eggs, and others.
In the 60s the processing facility was the financial cornerstone of Wenchi and its neighboring communities. The factory was estimated to have directly employed over 1000 people at its peak, while a lot more benefited indirectly from its out-grower scheme operation.
However the factory was shut down in 1987 as there was a lack of the right quantity of raw materials for its operations.