Government Starts Building Glenmore Sugar Factory

Banyuwangi, E Java, Dec 13 (ANTARA) - The government has begun construction of the Glenmore sugar factory with a groundbreaking ceremony here on Wednesday. "The construction will be completed by 2015 and the factory is expected to be operational from August 2015 onwards," said Irwan Basri, the president director of State Plantation Company (PTPN) XII, here on Wednesday. He stated that PTPN had set a target of producing 8,000 tons of sugar per day in an effort to support the national sugar self-sufficiency program. The Glenmore sugar factory will be built on 3.40 hectares of land, while the sugarcane plantation will cover an area of 6,000 hectares, Basri noted. Domestic demand for sugar has reached 4.7 thousand tons annually, while the country can only produce 2.6 thousand tons per year. Therefore, Indonesia must import about 2.1 thousand tons of sugar, Basri said, adding that the Glenmore sugar factory would require an investment of Rp1.7 trillion.