On Year Of 1DIF: Ekumfi Fruits And Juice Company

It is exactly a year ago today, 25th August, 2017, that His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cut sod to launch (a) the Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Limited and (b) the 1D1F initiative.

The occasion had several symbolic significance, among-st them was that, on that day, Nana Addo and his NPP Government demonstrated to Ghanaians that, the 1D1F initiative was neither a mere campaign slogan nor a political rhetoric.

The occasion symbolized an empirical and verifiable opportunity for Ghanaians and also indicated the birth of an industrialization agenda to transform the economy and living standards. It was a practical initiative targeted at citizens living in the Districts and rural settings.

Through the initiative served several economic benefits such as increase in Gross Domestic Products (GDP), increase in foreign exchange earnings and jobs creation were envisaged.

The choice of Ekumfi was informed by its strategic underpinnings. The initiative has been premised on using the resource potentials of the Districts. Ekumfi has very rich soil and a conducive environment for the cultivation of pineapples and other fruits.

Although the area is noted for the cultivation of pineapples, farmers however could only engage in subsistence farming as their main market for their produce was the streets (i.e. main Accra – Cape Coast road). On the occasion that when farmers realize good/heavy harvest, they often missed the rewards for their labour as sizeable proportions of their produce got wasted.

To begin with, the company envisaging this opportunity, developed a strategy and a business plan to produce pineapple juice that will serve as the main market for the farmers in the District. The project successfully got approval from the 1D1F Secretariat and received funding from Ghana Exim Bank.

One year on, the Secretariat deems it fit to inform Ghanaians, the progress made by Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Limited.

The company has strategically planned its activities to meet the factory’s production capacity by engaging several farmers within the District. The company targets to cultivate over 600 acres before it commences operations.

It is projected that, the company will operate at full capacity within two to three years of commencement, and by then would have completed its planned cultivation of 5,000 acres. It is exciting to note that, the company has so far cultivated 500 acres and has registered over 300 outgrower farmers with an average of 2 acre land per farmer under cultivation.

The farmers receive inputs for cultivation as well as GH¢ 200 monthly stipends. The company is cultivating additional 40 acres around the factory site and will soon complete its 1,000 acres nucleus farm. The excitement and participation by the communities have been tremendous.

The communities involved in the cultivation have increased from 5 to 13 since its inception. The outgrower system will soon be extended to other Districts including Gomoa and Ejumako. With the company’s aim of exporting its products, the raw materials are expected to meet high international standards.

For this reason, continuous provision of classroom teachings for farmers on good agricultural practices and increasing yields has been instituted to help meet the standards. The company’s agronomists also provide monitoring and guidance for the farmers.

The promoters in appreciation of the Government’s vision and leadership have decided to name one of the allotted farm blocks on the nucleus farm after H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Another block is also expected to be named after Mr. Kofi Annan, the illustrious son of Ghana who through his exemplary leadership put Ghana on the world map. The energetic Chief of Staff will also be honored with a block to be labelled Fremah Block.

The company has far advanced from its bushy land to a factory site that has seen a 51% completion level. The engineers have completed erection of concrete pillars that will hold the steel bars. The company factory will be made of pre-fabricated materials. These materials were made in Ghana by Sivoco Steel Fabricators.

The dependence on locally manufactured prefab materials has opened up jobs in the prefab industry. Currently, the steel pillars are being erected and the other fabricated materials have been delivered on site. The site consist of a 100*50 meters factory with offices and a 30*24 meters warehouse.

Total of about approximately 40 tons of iron rods have been use on the foundation and pillars. An additional 80 tons of iron rods will be used for the factory floor. It is anticipated that the building should be ready by November 2018.

The machinery for the factory has been manufactured and ready to be shipped into the country. It is expected that the Promoters and technical team will leave the country shortly to inspect the machinery and receive training. It is anticipated that the machinery will arrive in Ghana early November and installation completed in a month. The company projects that, the first test runs will be conducted in December 2018.

The factory has the capacity to produce 10 tons of juice an hour which is estimated at crushing 80,000 pineapples within 8 hours a day. It must be emphasized that, the raw material base is a critical success factor as the company will incur additional cost of restarting the production process due to stoppages caused by unavailability of raw materials.

In concluding, the One District One Factory is a laudable and doable initiative that His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is keen on achieving. He must be supported by Ghanaians as this initiative is a major means to improving the economy of Ghana and job creation. The 1D1F Secretariat is optimistic that the programme will deliver and improve on the economic gains for the benefit of all Ghanaians.