Benso Oil Palm Plantation (BOPP) Limited has attained certification from the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a multi-stakeholder International Organisation.

This places BOPP among the world class oil palm plantations worldwide and guarantees that the plantation is doing its business in an ecologically, socially and economically responsible manner.

BOPP is the first in Ghana and West Africa, and the second in Africa to attain such certification.

Mr. Santosh Pillai, Managing Director of BOPP, made this announcement in a speech read on his behalf at a durbar held to honour workers, smallholder and independent oil palm farmers of the company.

He said: “BOPP had to demonstrate in auditable terms its commitment and adherence to principles of transparency, legal compliance with both national and international conventions, long term viability and the use of best practices to achieve this feat.”

The company also had to show adherence to biodiversity conservation and environmental protection, social responsibility and employee welfare, new planting procedures and continuous improvement.

Mr. Pillai indicated that the profit after tax of the company was expected to hit 10 million Ghana cedis as compared to last year, adding that the company purchased palm fruits from smallholder and independent farmers to the tune of 9.7 million Ghana cedis compared to 8.5 million Ghana cedis last year.

He announced that the company this year completed a replanting programme it started in 1999, which portended a bright future as the young palms would sooner or later be yielding at peak levels.

“There is no doubt that oil cultivation, done the BOPP way, can bring about wealth creation among rural communities in Ghana’s oil palm belt, and also help ease pressure on the cedi by the US dollar, which is a concomitant effect over importation of basic things including palm oil,” he stated.

Mr. Pillai stressed the need for the oil sector to collaborate with the Government, traditional leaders, custodians of the land, development agencies and all stakeholders in order to give the industry the leverage it needed to become another foreign exchange earner like cocoa.

Mr. Fiifi Kwetey, Minister of Food and Agriculture, in a speech read on his behalf, said the country was currently a net exporter of palm oil, and urged stakeholders to maintain the trend and further increase the country’s export and become self-sufficient in Palm Oil production.

He gave the assurance that the Government would continue to provide the policy and investment framework to encourage robust investment from the private sector to shore up gains chalked so far.

Mr. Kwetey indicated that the Government was in discussion with Agence Francaise de Developpment, a French Agency, to support the sector to expand the out grower project at the Twifo Oil Palm Plantation in the Central Region.

He acknowledged the efforts of stakeholders in the revitalization of the Ghana Oil Palm Development Association and urged BOPP and other estates to consider investing in the production of other downstream activities such as soap, detergent, palm kernel oil, and refined oil.

He commended BOPP for the achievement since the RSPO certification gave palm oil producers greater market flexibility for their product.

The awardees, comprising 40 workers of the company and 19 smallholder and independent oil palm farmers, took home items such as refrigerators, television sets, gas stoves, wellington boots and cutlasses.