The Corporate Affairs and Administration Manager of Golden Exotics Limited, Mark Achel, has estimated that the company has lost investment of over €500,000.00 to flood from the Akosombo and Kpong Hydro dams spillage.
As holders of the largest banana plantation in Ghana, 40 percent of the farm of Golden Exotics Limited has been affected by the flood waters.
Mr. Achel stated in a news release that this year Golden Exotics Ltd would not be able to meet its annual export threshold of 2,000 tonnes of banana, which makes it the top exporter of one the most common foods of human beings.
He said 90% of Golden Exotics Ltd farm’s products are exported to bring Ghana the much needed foreign exchange.
Golden Exotics Ltd is a Free Zone Enterprise that cultivates over 2,000 hectares of banana and has one of the biggest organic farms in the world. They employ almost 4,000 permanent workers on the plantation.
“Apart from having portions of the farm totally submerged, we also have to deal with destroyed infrastructure such as dykes, culverts, electrical installations at their pumping stations, packing stations, and the farm road networks, which the company had built at huge costs,” he bemoaned.
Worriedly, he said, October was normally their peak period for harvesting over 2,000 tonnes of bananas per week, but had lost over 200 tonnes last week, due to the floods.
With the continued rising level of the flood, the entrance to their pack houses has been blocked, indicating that more tonnes of bananas would be lost in the coming weeks.
As a result of the flood, Golden Exotics Ltd has been denied the benefit of its workers, since most of them travel from Alabonu and its environs, which are now inaccessible.
The Corporate Affairs Manager lamented over the devastating impacts of the Akosombo and Kpong hydro dams’ spillage on majority farms at Asutsuare, Akuse, Torgome and its environs.
He observed with regret that most of the farms and roads leading to these farms were now submerged in water. Some of the affected farms are fish, rice, mango and banana plantations, located along the Volta River.
“The water level which during the rainy seasons rises to a maximum of 5 metres is current at 8.5 metres. With VRA still spilling, there is no end in sight. Farms like Golden Exotics are going to have huge losses both production wise and financially for the year 2023,” he added.
Mr. Achel decries inadequate information to farmers in preparation for the disaster ahead.
