In addition, the council has also appealed to the government to provide resources and logistics for the Wenchi Farming Institute to boost its operation.

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 and improve the Wenchi Municipal Assembly’s revenue mobilisation drive and strengthen the operations of the institute.

The Wenchi Tomato Processing Factory is noted for the processing and packaging of vegetables, particularly tomatoes, garden-eggs, okra and other kinds of fruits.

The factory used to be an economic backbone of Wenchi and its adjoining communities in the 1960s.

The factory was said to have directly employed over 1,000 people at its peak, while a lot more benefited indirectly from its operation through the out-grower scheme.

However, the factory was shut down in 1987 as a result of lack of the right quantity of raw materials for its operation.