Gifty Ohene Konadu and some of the farmers
Barring any unforeseeable hitches, the next destination after Ekumfi for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s flagship One-District, One-Factory policy will be Bogoso in the Prestea-Huni Valley District of the Western Region.
The decision to site the US$3.7 million palm oil processing factory in Bogoso was taken after the National Coordinator for the One-District-One-Factory, Gifty Ohene Konadu visited the community on Wednesday, November 1, 2017.
She appraised herself of the availability of raw materials to feed the factory, prospects of the facility, as well as the community’s preparedness to sustain such a plant.
Issues of availability of a litigation-free land for such a facility were also considered during her visit.
She interacted with a number of stakeholders in the community, including Golden Star Mining Company, smallholder farmers, chiefs and management of the Prestea-Huni Valley District Assembly.
Her visit was spurred by a proposal submitted to her office for consideration and approval by the Golden Star Mining Company over the need to build an oil palm mill for downstream processing to complement organic plantation growth in the Bogoso township.
Gold Star has a unique oil palm plantation flagship project, which has brought the entire community together to help alleviate poverty.
Known as the Gold Star Oil Palm Plantation (GSOPP), the initiative has acquired a unique approach to land acquisition by soliciting land from the traditional authorities (seven divisional chiefs) who offer their land to become partners of the scheme.
Under the scheme, GSOPP provides funds for the development of the plantations through Gold Star’s financial commitment of US$1 per ounce of gold produced.
Under this arrangement, agreements are signed with the selected farmers where the cost of the plantation development is treated as loans (Revolving Fund) to the smallholder farmers.
Through this partnership approach, the major issues of land tenure associated with large-scale developments are eliminated.
So far, GSOPP has developed 1,133 hectares of land in 10 communities where over 700 workers from the catchment communities have been engaged in this business.
The harvested products are sold to Benso Oil Palm Plantation where 70 percent of the revenue goes to the farmer and 20 percent is deducted as loan.
Five percent of the proceeds also go to the landlord while the remaining 5 percent is retained by GSOPP as its contribution for field infrastructure.
However, the cost of carting the produce from the farm gate to the oil mill is very high, with the smallholder farmers, estimating a 20% loss in revenue.
This, according to the farmers, will enable them have more returns on their produce when an oil palm processing plant is sited in the community.
Already, more communities are knocking on the doors of Gold Star Mining Company to enroll them onto their flagship oil palm plantation project.
Some of the farmers, who interacted with Gifty Ohene Konadu, outlined how beneficial the project had been to them and their households.
“With this work, I have been able to build a three-bedroom facility and a chamber and hall. I am also able to take care of my family by paying the school fees of my three children without any difficulty, give my wife household keeping money and also pay my utility bills. In 2014, I was given an award as the best farmer in the district. I am hoping to expand my farm when the oil mill is sited here,” disclosed one of the long serving smallholder farmers.
Chairman of the Smallholder Farmers Association, Daniel Kwao Wiredu said, “Before GSOPP came on board, I was struggling to make ends meet. But when the mines came to our aid, our production doubled and now I am able to pay the school fees of my children with ease. My living standard has improved and looking forward to seeing Nana Akufo-Addo’s factory in this community.”