The management of U&I Palm Enterprises has announced plans to open a new factory before the middle of 2018 to scale up production by at least 12 metric tons. This according to the company has become imperative due to the tremendously increasing demand for the company’s premium product, Ultimate Palm Oil by consumers as the company expands to satisfy more customers.
The managing director and chief executive of the company, Imaobong Ekanem gave this indication while announcing the company’s expansion plans. She mentioned that the planned expansion was to accommodate the new and vast market segment attracted by the introduction of sachet palm oil, which she described as an economic pack meant to make the oil inclusive and affordable by all segments of the Nigerian consumers.
Currently, the company operates one plant with annual production capacity of 25 metric tons. However, with the growing demand of the commodity within and outside Nigeria, this production capacity is fast becoming inadequate, hence, the company’s decision to expand its capacity by building new plants.
With this capacity increase as well as subsequent ones, the company hopes to be able to make the product available for more and more Nigerians at it contributes to Nigeria’s aggressive self-sufficiency agenda.
Preliminary work has commenced and the plant would be completed by the middle of next year. Meanwhile, the existing plant is being optimized to ensure that supply is increased as a short-term solution.