Central Oil Mills Board inaugurated

Central Oil Mills (COM), an oil palm processing factory, has inaugurated its Board of Technical Advisors to assist the company achieve its set goals as it gears up for expansion.

The expansion is being supported by the Ghana EXIM Bank under the President’s IDIF initiative.

The board members include Professor Ernest Ekow Abano, Food Scientist, University of Cape Coast Agric Engineering Department; Ebenezer Odei Addo, Mechanical Engineer and Quality Assurance expert; and Mr Richard Ekow Annobil, Human Resource, Agriculture and Oil Palm specialist.

At the ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of COM, located at Jukwa Mfuom in the Central Region, Mr Aaron Sagoe, said the 1D1F support had helped immensely with their expansion programme, such as building of a new ultra-modern factory at Jukwa  Ansamaso purposely for fresh palm fruit processing and bottling; acquisition of new machinery to increase production capacity and value addition; onsite laboratories and storage tanks, and procurement of tractors and trucks.

He said the company was providing job opportunities for the youth in Central Region as it had also acquired more farms in adjoining districts to get more fruits for processing.

Prof Sagoe said the company had also introduced an out-grower scheme to help minimise post-harvest losses of palm fruits in the region.

He thanked the advisors for their readiness and willingness to impart their skills and rich experiences to support the vision of the company.

Prof  Ernest Ekow Abano, responding on behalf of the other advisors,  asked  the general public to be wary of the  red oil they consumed as some red oil had  been adulterated with Sundan IV (popularly known as suudee), a chemical which is harmful to the human body when consumed.

He appealed to the government to invest more in oil palm production by way of setting up research boards and schools for training in value addition for the oil palm industry.

TIMES REPORTER