Twifo-Praso (C/R) 19, GNA - Nana Ato Arthur, the Central Regional Minister, has appealed to the management of Twifo Oil Palm Plantation (TOPP) to continue to forge close links with Twifo-Heman-Lower-Denkyira District Assembly.
Nana Arthur, who said this in a speech read for him at a workers' durbar and awards day of TOPP at Twifo Ntafrewaso on Saturday, urged TOPP to continue to honour its social responsibilities to the people. In all 110 workers were honoured. Thirty-eight received best worker awards while 72 for long service.
They were given television sets, sewing machines, bicycles, cartons of soap, Wellington boots, matches and certificates.
Nana Arthur commended TOPP management for initiating plans to support the small holder to resume fertilizer application to their farm and urged the farmers to always sell their fruits to TOPP. Mr Neneyo Mate-Kole, the Managing Director of TOPP, said after eight years of Uniliver management, the company's finances have shown remarkable results.
He said production of palm fruits from the company's plantation and those supplied by the out growers and small holders have reduced. Mr Mate-Kole said plans were advanced to support the smallholder farmers with fertilizer to boost yields, and that the company would continue to place emphasis on crop quality.
He said farmers who produce quality tenera crop would be paid higher price than those who produce low oil bearing dura and mixed fruits.
He expressed concern that palm fruits bought from out growers still contained high percentage of dura fruits and encouraged them to buy and replace their old dura trees with high yielding drought and wilt resistant seedlings being produced and sold in the company's nursery. Mr Atta Kweku, the Chairman of the local branch of the agriculture workers union, thanked management of TOPP for instituting the awards scheme to boost the morale of the workers.
He appealed to TOPP management to consider the establishment of a bank in the company's premises and that the workers be granted long term loans to enable them put up their own houses.
