Addis Ababa: Tana Bales No. 1 sugar factory owned by the Ethiopian Sugar Corporation (ESC), built with cooperation from China, has started operations.
ESC released a press note stating that the sugar factory started producing white sugar on Thursday, after several months of preparatory work, with the help of the China CAMC Engineering Corporation Limited (CAMCE).
The construction of the sugar factory began in 2012 in the East African country’s northern Amhara region and was expected to be completed in 18 months. The construction work however was delayed and by the end of 2017, only 60% of the work was completed.
In September 2019, CAMCE, belonging to China National Machinery Industry Corporation (SINOMACH) took over the project and started working on it.
The Tana Belas No. 1 sugar factory is expected to produce 20,000 metric tons of sugar during this fiscal year. The Ethiopian Fiscal Year ends on July 7.
