Spanish company explores jatropha cultivation, processing in Ghana

A company in Spain, Entaban S.a. and Juanx Lioret S.a., has expressed interest in establishing a Jatropha plantation and Bio- diesel plant at Offinso in the Ashanti Region in Ghana.

The company has therefore sent invitation to the Offinso District Chief Executive (DCE), a representative each from the Ministries of Local Government Rural Development and Environment, Trade and Industries and President's Initiatives and the Offinso District Director of Agriculture, to visit the company's production sites in Spain.

The DCE for Offinso, Mr A.C. Ntim, who confirmed the receipt of the company's invitation letter at the weekend, said the company got to know about Offinso when it saw on the district's website that the Assembly was looking for investors to go into partnership with the Offinso Traditional Council and the District Assembly for oil palm cultivation.

Mr Ntim said the Offinso District had already been selected as one of three districts in the Ashanti Region for production of the Jatropha under the government's initiatives and therefore the company felt it was the appropriate place to locate the project.

Mr Ntim said the visit would take them to two of the company's Bio-diesel installations in Servilla and Jerrol, Spain.

He said a number of farmers had expressed interest in the cultivation of the Jatropha plant and had registered with the Assembly, adding that about 1,200 acres of land had been cleared by the farmers for the cultivation of the plant, this year.

Additionally, about 800,000 oil-palm seedlings have been supplied to 2,000 farmers for cultivation under the DCE and MP's Special Initiatives, which were approved by the District Assembly in 2005.


Besides, the DCE said 5,000oil palm seedlings had this year been distributed to the farmers in the district under the President's Special Initiativve.