East Timor to have its first sugar mill

East Timor to have its first sugar mill

JAKARTA (JP): A Rp 58 billion (US$25.3 million) sugar mill
will soon be built in East Timor, opening up the region to the
sugar industry for the first time.

The mill, to be situated in the Los Palos regency, 210
kilometers East of Dili, will be built by PT Ciptatata Indah
Sejahtera (CIS). The firm will start work on the project by
opening up a 5,000-hectare sugar cane plantation in January.

CIS president Bambang Harsono said yesterday that the planned
mill will employ between 3,000 and 5,000 workers, giving first
priority to the region's indigenous people.

Construction of the mill and the installation of its machinery
will begin next August, Bambang said, as quoted by Antara. The
machinery is to be imported from China at a cost of Rp 27
billion.

The mill will have a production capacity of 2,000 tons of
sugar per day, or 40,000 tons per annum with a milling period of
200 days. Its milling operations are scheduled to begin next
December.

Bambang said that, in addition to sugar, the mill will also
produce alcohol of international standards.

Bambang said his decision to invest in the area was not based
on political considerations but on the fact that the region,
particularly Los Palos, was suited to the production of
plantation commodities.

He said that locals recruited to work at the mill would
receive training in Java.

At the initial stage, CIS will send 10 Los Palos locals to
study hygiene at a special secondary school run by CIS in East
Java.

Bambang said that, to date, CIS has sent 64 East Timorese to
study hygiene in Java. (pwn)