The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – Oil Palm Research Institute (CSIR-OPRI) has endorsed the government’s plan to develop 100,000 hectares of oil-palm plantations under the 2026 budget adjustments.

At a media briefing, Dr Isaac Danso, Director and Principal Research Scientist at CSIR-OPRI, outlined the institute’s rationale for supporting the initiative, the challenges confronting the sector, and how CSIR-OPRI intends to help deliver the project.

Dr Danso said the institute’s support is anchored on four strategic objectives: reducing Ghana’s reliance on cocoa, gold and timber exports; diversifying national revenue; creating new growth pillars; and integrating rural communities into the broader economy. “These goals align directly with the country’s development agenda,” he noted.

Sector challenges

CSIR-OPRI highlighted six major obstacles that could hinder the programme:

Use of uncertified planting material, which significantly reduces yields.

Poor agronomic practices among growers.

Limited processing capacity and low adoption of technology.

Lack of accessible credit for farmers and investors.

Inadequate funding and logistics for CSIR-OPRI’s research work.

Low value-addition, with most producers exporting crude palm oil (CPO) without further processing.

CSIR-OPRI’s contribution

The institute outlined a concrete plan to support the 100,000-hectare target:

Supply of improved high-yielding hybrid material: CSIR-OPRI can produce about one million hybrid seedlings per year, each with a yield potential of 25 tonnes per hectare annually and an early-maturing period of 2.5 years. Its subsidiary, Ghana Sumatra Ltd., can produce approximately 12 million pre-germinated seed nuts annually. The project requires 15 million planting materials, all of which can be sourced locally from CSIR-OPRI at Kusi in the Eastern Region.

Technical backstopping: The institute will supervise and provide technical support to accredited industrial nursery operators.

Extension services: CSIR-OPRI will support site selection, farmer training, association formation, and delivery of agronomic advisory services and inputs.

Capacity building: Training programmes will develop the manpower needed for production and value addition, including capacity building for the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) staff on technology uptake.

Feasibility studies: The institute will undertake studies to guide prospective investors.

Recommendations to the government

To maximise success, CSIR-OPRI recommended:

Prioritising nucleus-estate development for about 90% of the land, with the remaining 10% for smallholder schemes, following Indonesian and Malaysian models.

Requiring investors to source all certified seed-nuts locally to boost the domestic economy.

Using the CSIR-OPRI climate-suitability map to guide investor entry.

Enforcing strict regulatory compliance along the value chain.

Officials say these measures could create thousands of jobs, raise rural incomes, and boost value addition beyond raw commodity exports. With government financing, CSIR-OPRI’s technical support, and a clear implementation roadmap, the 100,000-hectare oil-palm target appears within reach.