Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Limited is to begin exporting to the US, UK, and Dubai.
This is in view of new market opportunities the company has found in those markets.
The Director of Operations Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Limited, Mr Frederick Kobbyna Acquaah, who disclosed this to journalists, said the move formed part of the expansion strategy of the company and the demand for pure unadulterated pineapple juice in those markets.
“We have done all the preparatory works and are now working on our export documents and by the middle of the year we will begin exporting to those markets, ” he stated.
Mr Acquaah who took journalists round the pineapple farms of Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Limited to acquaint themselves of the operations of and the production processes, said the opportunity to enter the US, UK as well as the Dubai markets would help sell Ghana on the international market.
As part of the programme, Mr Acquaah took the journalists round the$10 million Central Citrus Processing Limited at Abura Aseibua at the Abura Aseibua Kwamankese District.
He said the company had more than 3000 acres of pineapple in cultivation.
The farms which are the company’s own pineapple farms are located at Obri in the Gomoa West, Ekumfi Sardo near Otuam and Ekumfi Edumafa.
The Director of operations said the farms were being expanded and the intention was to increase the farms to 6,000 acres and subsequently to 12,000 to meet the increasing demand for pineapples for the factory and sustainability of the company.
“The new market we have found in US, UK, and Dubai have also necessitated the need to increase our farms,” Mr Acquaah stated.
He dismissed some media reports that the company had collapsed.
Mr Acquaah explained that the company has not shut down, saying the company produced based on demand to maximize economies of scale.
“Whatever we produced has already been sold,” Mr Acquaah said.
He said the company currently produced five various of ‘Eku Juice’ and plans were advance to introduce three additional variants.
He explained that the factory established at a cost of $20 million under the One District, One Factory initiative had the capacity to process ten tonnes of pineapple per hour which translated to four acres of farm of pineapple fruits.
He said the company had more than 1000 workers who mostly were on the farms, adding that the factory had more than 75 professionals.
The Director of Operations said the company run two shifts and the expansion plans would help to increase the shift to three.
Asked what motivated to establish the multi-million dollar factory, Mr Acquaah said the dream of him and his partners who are indigenes of Central Region and products of University of Cape Coast for the past 25 years had thought of a business to create employment for youth and improve socio-economic conditions of the region.
He said the establishment of the factory had helped to create jobs and improve the economy of the area in which the factory was established.
As part of the programme, Mr Acquaah took the journalists around the$10 million Central Citrus Processing Limited at Abura Aseibua at the Abura Aseibua Kwamankese District.
Mr Acquaah said on the Central Citrus Processing Limited, it was a factory he was “mentoring.”
He said the factory would process citrus oil from the peel of oranges for export, while Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Limited used the pulp for citrus juice.
He said the factory was located in a citrus production enclave and would help address the post-harvest losses of the citrus produced in the area and boost the economies of town
around the factory.
On corporate social investment, Mr. Acquaah said the company was delivering on its corporate social responsibility and had awarded scholarships, and was providing sanitation facilities to communities in the catchment area of the company.
The Ekumfi Fruits and Juices Limited was established in 2019 under the One District, One Factory.
