Pamol: Plantations Bearing The Bruises of Protracted Insecurity

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Pamol: Plantations Bearing The Bruises of Protracted Insecurity

30 août 2021 04:45

The Lobe-based agro-industry is now operating less than 50 per cent of its capacity with just 584 workers out of 2,700.

Pamol Plantations, an agro-industry producing palm oil and other derivatives with headquarters in Lobe, Ekondo Titi sub-division in Ndian Division of the South West Region, has not been spared in the current socio-political crisis ongoing in the North West and South West Regions.

The company is bearing the brunt of a protracted crisis with nefarious effects on its installation, plantations and personnel whom in some cases have been maimed or killed. The consequence is the drastic drop in the performance with production today at 42 per cent and less than 50 per cent of its installed capacity operational.

Due to the wave of insecurity within the Pamol operating zone, the 2,700 workers during pre-crisis dropped to about 350 workers working mainly in the Ndian Estate (Bulu). In fact, the company shutdown operations in May 2018 and only resumed in 2019 in the Ndian estate with 584 workers today.

As the General Manager of Pamol Plantations, Solomon Tapea Mbile explains, the challenge now is bringing back workers in the plantations. The company has unpaid salaries, social insurance and pension arears amounting to some FCFA 4 billion and at least FCFA 3.7 billion debts. The General Manager lamented that every move taken to get things working is often punctured by attacks from the separatist fighters. He mentioned the case of a worker in Lobe estate who braved the odds and harvested about 3.6 tons of palm nuts but who was later assassinated when information leaked. Even negotiations held with small holders who supply 30 per cent to Pamol factories have not been fruitful because of threats from the fighters. All of these, he regretted, is because some unscrupulous individuals have transformed Pamol plantations as their personal estate and are...