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The sugar factory being constructed in Mayuge district, 28km from Jinja town, is expected to employ over 1,000 people when it opens in February next year.
Maheshawari Kamalesh, a director in the Mayuge Sugar Industries, last week said 200 workers had been employed in the construction works and planting of sugarcane.
"The main challenge now is to start the factory within the targeted time. Over 50% payments for the machinery have been made and all the machinery will be here by December and production will start in February."
He explained that the site of the plant was chosen because the area had big chunks of unutilised fertile land, good weather and there was no any other industry in the district.
He also said a total of $10m (about sh16b) would be invested in the industry and so far $6.5m (about sh10.4b) had been spent on payment of the machinery, land and construction of the plant. The construction materials are imported from india and fabricated at the site.
The firm has 10 tractors ploughing and planting over 1,000 acres of sugarcane in Mayuge and Iganga districts
Kamalesh said the out-growers had planted about 3,000 hectare of sugarcane .and over 600 of them had applied to supply the firm with sugercane.
"Farmers are already experienced in sugarcane growing so we do not need to train them."
The construction engineer, Simon Coutinho, said the plant house covers 3,000 square meters.