Arjo Dediessa Sugar Factory

Arjo Diddessa Sugar Factory is located in Western Oromiya region between East Wellega, Buno Beddelle and Jimma zones at Diddessa valley. It is found at a distance of 395 km from Addis Ababa using Beddele as a route to Nekemte.

Altitude of the area is in average 1,350 meter above sea level. Its climatic condition is known for being hot. Its annual average rainfall is 1,400 millimeters. The rainy season lasts from May to October every year. It mostly has black soil and occasionally has red and brown soil which makes it suitable for sugarcane development.

It is the Sugar Factory built by the Pakistani company known as AL-Habesha Sugar Mills PLC which later on sold it to the then Sugar Corporation in 2012/2013. The Factory has a capacity of crushing 8,000 tons of sugarcane a day using sugarcane plantation land which will be over 16,000 hectares of land.

Overtaking the factory, the then Corporation has completed the rest of the construction work of the factory. It as well began other development activities such as dam construction, sugarcane land preparation, construction of irrigation infrastructures and sugarcane development activities as well as construction of social service giving institutions and other related works which was not carried out parallel to factory construction work and hence the factory begun sugar production in 2015.

Furthermore, the factory has a higher potential to produce ethanol and generate electricity from bagasse. This will make it self-sufficient in its energy demand and enable it to send the remaining power to the national power grid.

The Factory was inaugurated by the former FDRE Prime Minister Haile Maryam Dessalegn on May 14, 2015.

Irrigation Development Infrastructure

• The Factory gets irrigated water from Diddessa River for its sugarcane development;
• A dam is under construction by Oromia Water Works Construction Enterprise on Diddessa River to irrigate the Factory’s farmland;
• Additionally, irrigation infrastructures which help develop 2,300 hectares land with sugarcane is under construction by the aforementioned Enterprise;
• Over 1,600 hectares land is irrigated.

Sugarcane Development

• Over 3,000 hectares land is covered with sugarcane.

Housing construction

• More than 124 residential houses and 11 service giving blocks are constructed.

Society’s Benefit 

Till July 2022 More than 20 million birr is spent for social service institutions in East Wellega and Buno Beddelle zones. Ever since the beginning of the project job opportunities have been created for 17,547 citizens. Intermediate skill trainings were given specially for the youth of the localities so as to benefit them from the development activities of the area and they already have commenced work. Furthermore, over 71 micro and small enterprises are organized in the area and engaged in different fields of work.

On the other hand, it has spent 65.66 million birr to farmers as compensation of their land taken by the Factory for its sugarcane field expansion, other various yields as well as to fulfill its social responsibility.