The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has awarded Benso Oil Palm Plantation Limited (BOPP) as the best Agribusiness Enterprise in the 2013 edition of the AGI second industrial awards.

In the Ghana Club 100 awards this year, BOPP was awarded the 38th position, an improvement on the 72nd position it held last year.

This was announced by Mr Suri Punnyasena, General Manager of WILMAR Ghana Limited, on behalf of Mr Santosh Pillai, Managing Director of BOPP, at the company’s annual workers and smallholder farmers’ awards durbar held at Adum Benso Estate in the Western Region.

Prizes ranging from refrigerators, television sets, spraying machines, wellington boots, gas stoves, among others were distributed to 37 workers of the company for their meritorious services.

The smallholder farmers also received fertilisers, cutlasses and wellington boots.

Mr Pillai further said the company was committed to sustainable practices in general and the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) principles and that BOPP was on course to become the first RSPO-certified oil palm plantation in the country.

He commended the workers, communities, chiefs and all stakeholders for their continued support of the operations of the company.

According to him, the company, last year, spent about GH¢114,700.00 on its corporate social responsibility; the provision of teaching and learning materials to schools, construction of culverts and reshaping of roads which opened up feeder roads within the communities in its catchment areas.

Mr Samuel Anane, Chairman of BOPP local union of the General Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU), said the relationship between management and workers had been cordial, and advised workers to abide by the company’s code of business principles.

The Western Regional Minister, Mr Ebenezer Addo, commended the award winners for their hard work, and pleaded with landowners and chiefs to release more land for the company to expand its operations.

According to him, it was hard to secure employment, and hoped that if land was offered to the company, it would enable it to offer more employment to the youth.

The company dedicated the AGI award to the regional minister.