By Mildred Siabi-Mensah, GNA
Takoradi, May 29, GNA – The Benso Oil Palm Plantation (BOPP) PLC has invested GH¢107 million in the development of a 3,030-hectare smallholder and out-grower oil palm project.
Out of the total hectares planted, 1,630 hectares had reached maturity stage, with the remaining 1,400 expected to reach maturity by the end of 2026.
The Out-grower Value Chain Fund, a development agency, had approved funding for the development of out grower projects to benefit 2,000 Smallholder farmers over a three-year period, with BOPP serving as a technical partner.
The company also during the year maintained its position among the top ten best-performing companies on the Ghana Stock Exchange and retained the coveted Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil certification, (RSPO) reaffirming its reputation as a model of best management practices in Ghana and across Africa.
Dr. Alfred Mahamadu Braimah, the Board Chairman of BOPP PLC, disclosed as he delivered the company’s 2025 Annual Report and Financial Statements during the Annual General Meeting in Takoradi.
According to him, the company’s financial performance remained strong despite domestic and global economic challenges in 2025.
Revenue for the reporting period grew by six percent year-on-year, driven by improved trading prices of palm oil and palm kernel oils.
However, profit after tax declined by 10 percent compared to the previous year, recording GH¢84.224 million against GH¢92.983 million achieved in 2024.
The decline was due to overall all industry cost spikes due to higher Out grower Fresh Fruit Bunches price, increase in processing, labour, Engineering and Factory Spares and Manufacturing Overheads by 12% over 2024.
Dr. Braimah explained that the company’s sustained performance trajectory reflected its continuous focus on cost efficiency, sound policies, and effective risk management systems.
In 2025, BOPP processed 121,787 metric tonnes of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFB) and injected GH¢72 million into communities within the Western and Central Regions through the purchase of 33,343 metric tonnes of fresh fruit bunches from smallholders and out grower farmers.
The Board Chairman further noted that the company performed exceptionally well in regulatory compliance and incident prevention, with greater emphasis on environmental sustainability, health, and safety.
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, the company invested GH¢720,000 in 2025, compared to GH¢1.6 million in the previous year, towards scholarships, road improvement projects, a CHPS compound, and the construction of a three-unit, two-bedroom nurses’ quarters, among other interventions.
He further stated that the company continued to focus on in-house projects, with education remaining a key priority.
As part of this commitment, BOPP sustained its tertiary scholarship programme for brilliant but needy students from surrounding communities and employees’ children.
During the academic year, 44 students benefitted from the scheme, including eleven (11) students from beneficiary communities and thirty-three (33) employees’ wards.
To date, the programme had supported fifty-seven (57) students from surrounding communities with cumulative financial assistance amounting to GH¢578,000.
Additionally, since 2011, two hundred and twenty-four (224) employees’ wards have received scholarships valued at approximately GH¢2.1 million.
Dr. Braimah also commended the Government of Ghana for efforts aimed at reducing the influx of illegal and grey imports through policy interventions. “We are aware of route changes towards the Upper East through the Togo corridor and other illegal routes without the payment of relevant taxes,” he stated.
He added that effective implementation of the ban would make investment in palm oil production more attractive and contribute significantly to the national objective of increasing local oil palm production and reducing the country’s reliance on imports of edible oil, estimated at about US$200 million annually.
BOPP PLC also announced a final dividend payment of GH¢0.2420 per share in addition to the interim dividend of GH¢1.0627 per share declared during the September year-to-year review by the Board.
Shareholders expressed satisfaction with the prudent management of the Board and Management, noting that their leadership had made the company profitable, strong, and resilient.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga /Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Reporter’s email: [email protected]