Leading banana producer boosts community development
Ghana's largest banana producer and exporter, Golden Exotics Limited (GEL), has provided employment opportunities to over 4,000 workers, mostly from the local community, as it is committed to community growth.
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Apart from employment, the GEL offers free health insurance, educational scholarships and transportation services to its employees. Also, it has a crèche arrangement that ensures that at midday each day, nursing mothers are picked up from the farm or their various workplaces by the company’s buses to a crèche where they breastfeed and spend time with their babies during their break.
“All acknowledge that motivates employees to give off their best and that also helps the company to further support the local community,” the Corporate Affairs and Administration Manager of Golden Exotics Limited, Mark Achel, noted during an interaction with a group of journalists on a tour of the GEL farms in Kasunya-Asutsuare in the Eastern Region organised by the UK Chamber of Commerce.
The GEL farms in Kasunya-Asutsuare, Eastern Region, span over 2,000 hectares, with 600 hectares dedicated to organic banana farming.
Press Freedom Day
The tour was part of activities to mark this year's World Press Freedom Day, which is held on May 3, every year. This year's World Press Freedom Day celebration was held on the theme: "A press for the planner: journalism in the face of the environmental crisis".
It was intended to highlight the significant role that journalists play in encouraging and securing a sustainable future that respects the rights of individuals and their diversity of voices, as well as gender equality.
Mr Achel said GEL, a fully-owned subsidiary of Compagnie Fruitière (CF), established in 1939 by two brothers, had also implemented a number of initiatives to show its commitment to environmentally friendly practices as part of a move towards sustainability.
He said the company's commitment to sustainability was evident in its embracing organic farming methods, eliminating harmful pesticides, reducing fertiliser usage and implementing a comprehensive recycling programme for the production of compost.
“Our organic farm, Golden Organic, is one of the largest in the world, producing high-quality bananas. Our commitment to environmental sustainability is reflected in our membership with the Rainforest Alliance and adherence to strict environmental best practices," he said.
He further stated that GEL had cemented its position as a leading producer of fruits in Africa and had, aside from Ghana, expanded its operations to Cameroun, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, with a focus on quality and sustainability.
"We recognise the impact our operations have on the environment and the community. By embracing sustainable practices, we aim to minimise our footprint and contribute positively to the growth of the communities we operate in and the country as a whole," Mr Achel said.
The company's commitment to community development has already shown tangible results and many of the local residents who have been employed by the company praised the initiative, citing increased economic opportunities.
First-hand insight
The Communications Manager of the UK Ghana Chamber of Commerce, Joscelyne Ahiable, said the UKGCC was a member-based organisation that promotes trade between Ghana and the United Kingdom. GEL is a member of the Chamber.
UKGCC, she said, had over the years supported the media in Ghana and it organised the tour to provide journalists with first-hand insight into the operations of Ghana’s leading banana exporter and how the private sector could continue to support a free press in Ghana.