Twifo-Ntafrewaso (C/R), Dec. 17, GNA - The management of the Twifo Oil Palm Plantation (TOPP) Limited is to acquire and install a 1,500 KVA steam turbine and boiler, to make the company self-reliant in energy for milling and household use.

Mr Nenenyo Mate-Kole, Managing Director of the company announced this at the annual workers durbar and Awards Day on Saturday. Prizes ranging from television sets, bicycles, sewing machines, suitcases, roofing sheets, radio cassette recorders, Wellington boots, cutlasses, soap and certificates were presented to the award winners. Forty-one workers were honoured, while 80 received long service awards.

Mr Yaw Gyasi from Ntafrewaso, was adjudged the best harvester, while Mr Joseph Amponsah, the best re-planter, both took home a bicycle each.

Mr Mate-Kole commended the award winners and urged them to maintain their dedicated services that won the award and other employees and contractors for their hard work.

He announced that the company had instituted a scholarship award scheme for six brilliant but needy students in senior high and technical schools in Twifo and Atti Morkwaa communities.

Mr Mate-Kole said six children of some of the employees were offered full scholarships to pursue their senior high school education last year, while six others were offered half-scholarship under the sponsorship of Unilever Foundation for Education and Development (UFED).

Mr Mate-Kole announced that the company's finances showed remarkable improvement, raking-in 25 billion cedis (excluding restructuring cost) as against 14 billion cedis the previous year, representing 78.6 percent growth over the previous year. He said the company produced 14,454 tons of oil and 4,248 tons of palm kennel this year.

The Managing Director said the company placed much emphasis on crop quality by paying a premium price and discounted low quality crop, adding that, the system would be intensified to enable farmers who sold quality crop to be paid more.

Mr Samuel Agyeibi-Kessie, Twifo Hemang-Lower Denkyira District Chief Executive, commended the company for its contributions towards the development of the District and assured management of the Assembly support in it operations.

He appealed to the management of TOPP to extend the scholarship scheme to cover other areas outside of the company's operational area. The company staff engaged in sporting activities including tug-of-war, lime and spoon and sack race to mark the occasion.