The Board Chairman of Benso Oil Palm Plantation (BOPP) Mr. Ishmael Yamson has expressed optimism about the company’s ability to deliver better performance in the coming year while commending the workers and management for working diligently to record a good profit.

The company made a profit after tax of GH¢8.16 million during the 2015 financial year and proposed a total dividend of GH¢1.63 million out of its total profit to ensure sustainable oil palm production in the country.

Mr. Yamson, speaking at the Annual General Meeting in Takoradi explained that the feat was achieved in spite of the unfriendly economic environment including the low commodity prices and weakening microeconomic indicators on the domestic front.

He said the company’s production and revenue for 2015 grew by 17 percent and 11 percent, respectively, compared to the previous year’s, while the profit, on the contrary, decreased by 34 percent due to the difficult macroeconomic environment.

Mr. Yamson, commending the company’s robust operational programmes and performance announced that the Company paid a total of GH¢17.3 million to smallholder and outgrower farmers within the catchment area, which he said, was a sustainable contribution to the socio-economic environment of the area.

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), the Company runs a scholarship scheme, which is currently catering for 14 Senior High School students drawn from four communities in the immediate environs of BOPP.

Mr. Yamson said the Company was adjudged the Best CSR Company and the Best Agribusiness Company in the country in 2015. From its inception in 2007, the scheme has sponsored more than 60 students.