Chapter 11. Oil palm industry growth in Africa: a value chain and smallholders’ study for Ghana 363
GOPDC assists outgrowers in developing their plantations so they can sell fruits to the company.
Approximately 300 ha within the concession area are cultivated by smallholders – farmers who are
permitted to develop temporary plantations within the estate and sell their FFBs to GOPDC.
The large estates are currently a blend of either private/public shareholding entities or private
enterprises. For example, GOPDC as a state-owned enterprise was divested in 1995, with SIAT
(Ghana) Ltd (agro-processing group) acquiring a majority stake (80 percent) in the new company.
Currently, GOPDC and NORPALM are inherently private while TOPP and BOPP are private/public
shareholding entities.
There is a wide variation in the productivity of oil palm production in Ghana among these different
farm structures. Average yields of about 1-3 MT FFB/ha are reported in the wild groves of (Dura) oil
palm, 3 MT FFB/ha in the private, unorganized smallholdings, and 10 MT FFB/ha in the estates with
smallholder and outgrower schemes. The large estates achieve productivity levels of between 10-15
MT/ha. In general, the highest productivity levels of 20 MT/ha have been recorded by plantations in
valley bottoms.
Table 8. Major Oil Palm Companies and Areas Cultivated (by Scale)
Company Land Under Cultivation
Estate Outgrower Smallholder Total
(ha) (ha) (ha) (ha)
Large Scale Mills:
Benso Oil Palm Plantation 4,666 5,000 1,650 11,316
Twifo Oil Palm Plantation 4,500 8,000 2,800 15,300
Norpalm 4,500 8000 100 12,600
GOPDC 4,650 13,000 350 18,000
Total for Larger Scale 18,316 34,000 4,900 57,216
Medium Scale Mills:
Ayiem Oil Mills 126 0 798 924
Juaben Oil Mills 424 1,100 8,636 10,160
Obooma Oil Mills 430 0 2,437 2,867
WAOPP Oil Mills 0 0 0 0
Ashanti Oil Mills 0 0 0 0
Adansi Oil Mills 0 0 0 0
AhwiaNkwanta Oil Mills 0 0 0 0
Anyinase Oil Mills 0 0 0 0
Others 0 0
Total for Medium Scale 980 1,100 11,871 13,951Small Scale Mills:
Small holder 232,833 0 0 233,933
Total for small scale 232,833 0 0 233,933GRAND Total 252,129 35,100 16,771 305,100
Source: MofA (2010)