play videoThe Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Factory is one of the flagship projects under the1D1F programme
The Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Factory, one of the flagship projects under the One District One Factory programme, has rolled out what it calls the ‘share-grower’ model to enable constant supply of raw materials at a cheaper cost.
Managing Director of the factory, Fredrick Kobbyna Acquaah, said the model, which has been christened ‘Ekumfi Model’ is a blend of
Speaking to GhanaWeb on one of the 19 farms that feeds the factory in Cape Coast on Thursday, August 6, 2020, Mr Acquaah said the model was developed after a study into the existing models and makes use of the best elements of both the shared-cropping model and the out-grower model.
“In our case, we go to do the leasehold…so they are working on it, first of all like they are workers but then we pay them stipends at the end every month. So, it is like they are workers.
“But when we harvest this fruit, they take the figures of the fruits packed into the trucks to the factory to enable them calculate how much share they have in the fruits brought for processing,” he said.
The 1D1F project started in 2017 and is located at Ekumfi Nanaben in the Ekumfi District of the Central Region.
The Ekumfi Fruits and Juices project scope entails the setup of a processing and packaging plant, pack houses and warehousing, storage facilities, packaging units and distribution terminals.
The factory has the capacity to process an average of 80 to 150 metric tonnes of pineapple and other fruits a day but it currently processes only a little above 70 metric tonnes of pineapple per day.
According to Mr Acquaah, the project has created 700 jobs through cultivation and factory operations and is projected to create over 2,000 jobs by 2021.
The Ghana Export-Import Bank (Ghana EXIM) explains it has invested into the Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Factory because, among other things, it will contribute to significant import substitution by reducing the volume of fruit juice imported into Ghana.
The project is among Ghana EXIM’s ‘Legacy Projects’ under the 1D1F programme as it costs above $10 million.
The other ‘Legacy Projects’ include the Walewale Water Melon Factory; Casa de Ropa, Akuapem Gold, Juice and Mango in the Ashanti Region, and Brick and Lime.
