Palm oil and palm kernel oil extraction is one of the main local economic development (LED) activities in the Municipality. The major communities that process oil palm into palm oil are Tontro, New Tafo, Old Tafo and Kukurantumi with an average monthly production capacity of thee metric tons (30000L). There are six processing groups with a total membership of 124. These processing groups have employed almost 500 workers of whom 34 are permanent. They sell their products to customers from Accra, Koforidua, Kumasi, Somanya, Assesewa, Tafo, Kukurantumi among others and also countries outside Ghana like Togo and Burkina Faso.
The Department of Agriculture, Abuakwa North Municipal Assemble realizing these economic potential set in to assist these processing groups in the area of capacity building and provision of machinery.
In the area of capacity building, the Department through Women in Agriculture Development (WIAD) unit has given them series of trainings under the following topics;
- Food safety and personal hygiene
- Marketing and commodity branding
- Palm oil specification and standard certification
- Customer relationship
- Value addition etc
Twenty-seven processors from these six groups were taken through a study tour at Soridipalm processing company at Asuom in the Kwaebibirim District to learn good processing techniques and environment cleanliness.
The Department through Modernizing Agriculture in Ghana (MAG) programme has procured 2 electric motors, 1 Striper, 1 boiler and 1 expeller as a grant to Adom processing group, one of the six processing groups in the Municipality.
The Department under Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD) has planted 150 acres of oil palm through beneficial farmers to add up to the existing oil palm plantations. The Department in the next four years (2027) has planned to plant 500 acres of oil palm.
Palm oil business is more attractive and lucrative in the Municipality and we therefore edge potential investors, home and abroad to invest into the business for job creation, development and financial returns.
Participants during and after standard certification training facilitated by Ghana Standard Authority (GSA)
Study tour to Soridipalm Company at Asuom