Wolkayit Sugar Development Project

The project office is located at Wolkayit District on 1,030 km from Addis Ababa. It is supposed to use sugarcane which will be developed at 40 thousand hectares of land and is expected to crush 24,000 tons of sugarcane a day. The Factory had been constructed by The Chinese CAMCE Company till it was terminated following the war triggered at northern part of Ethiopia.

Construction of Wolkayit Sugar Factory had been constructed in two phases with Factory One reaching 93% and Factory Two 85%. When completed and operate on its optimum crushing capacity, it produces 484,000 tons of sugar and 41 million 654 liters of ethanol a year.

The project was supposed to get its irrigation water from Tekeze, Kalema and Zarema Rivers.

Irrigation Infrastructure

• May-Day Dam, which was supposed to have the capacity to hold 3.5 billion cubic meter water, had been under construction on Zarema River until terminated due to the peace crises. Paving the way to resume construction and thereby conclude it sometime in the future, the Dam will have 840 meter width and 152 meter height;
• To develop 7 thousand hectares land with drip irrigation in line with the dam construction,, an agreement was signed with Israeli NETAFIM Company and the job had been carried out till terminated due to peace crisis;
• 10 km long main canal construction was completed till then;
• Construction had been going on, by then, to develop 3 thousand hectares land with sugarcane using sprinkler pumping from Kalema River;
• 260 hectares land had been irrigated which had been covered with seed plantation.

Sugarcane Development

• 260 hectares land had been covered with sugarcane seed out of the total irrigated land.

Housing Construction

• 1,028 residential houses and 57 service giving blocks had been constructed.

Community`s Benefit

Intermediate skill trainings had been given so as to benefit the local community from the development activities which had been carried out at the project. 84, 659 local community`s youth and other citizens had permanent, contractual and temporary jobs. 161 organized small enterprises were getting every support including the creation of business links.

Asset and production compensation had been given to those who were relocated as a result of the development. Social service institutions such as schools, human and animal health posts, farmer training centers etc.; 14 potable water institutions and 62 km roads had been built and were giving services till peace went awry.

A total of 407.68 million birr had been spent by Ethiopian Sugar Industry Group for social service institutions and related development works.