Saudi Arabia’s Samir Group is to establish a rubber processing plant in the Eastern Region by next year under the Ghana government’s district industrialisation programme, One-district, One-factory (1D1F) initiative.
Subsequently, the company says it has started up a 1,000 hectare rubber plantation that will provide the raw material for the factory.
Nazem Karroum, Chairman of the Group, said that the processing plant would export its products to tyre manufacturers.
Asked whether the company would consider setting up a tyre factory in the country, Karroum said the company was not considering this as the volume of usage does not support such an idea. “Most international tyre factories produce between 7-8 million tyres/year and the consumption in the country is below that level,” he said.
Also, he stated that presently the rubber plantation, also located in the Eastern Region, employs more than 200 temporary workforce and about 70 permanent staff.
Karroum said he was hopeful the company would be able to use its new industrialisation drive to help reduce the employment rate in the country.