Avnash Industries opens edible oil plant in Ghana

Avnash Industries Ghana has opened a new $60m edible oil plant in Tema, Ghana, as a part of its efforts to lower dependence on product imports.

The new plant, which has a capacity to produce 500t of edible-oil a day, will enable the company to raise its production capacity to 1,500t a day within a couple of years.

Ghana Finance Minister Seth Tekper said the growth of farmers is being restrained, in spite of the availability of abundant natural resources, due to the unavailability of desired incentives.

The new edible oil processing plant will address this void and will create new opportunities for thousands of people – cultivators, transporters, traders and employees, Tekper added.

This facility employs nearly 500 people and generates more than 2,000 indirect jobs through the sourcing of raw materials from local farms and the setting up of oil palm plantations.

Meanwhile, Avnash Industries is planning to set up a 450t per day rice milling facility in Tamale in April 2013, and has leased 30 acres of land at Buipe to establish a 300t per-day groundnut-oil facility.

Additionally, the company has purchased and upgraded three defunct plants – Boswell Oil Plant, Blue Mont Shea Butter Plant and Nasia Mill.

Avnash Industries Ghana, established in 2001, is involved in the manufacturing of edible oil, rice, soaps and detergents, shea butter, liquors, beer, whiskey, biscuits and allied products.