Interplast: Water Pipes and Drip Piping for Infrastructure and Agriculture in West Africa

Interview with Hayssam Fakhry, Managing Director of Interplast Limited

What is your assessment of the sector in Ghana? What are the latest trends in the economy?

The markets are growing all over West Africa. We deal in infrastructure, mainly water and others. The markets vary year to year depending on where the funding is and which country is investing in their infrastructure more than the others. We see quite a lot of movement in the West African region in terms of infrastructure. A lot of African governments are investing in their infrastructure and it actually helps our business.

Are you opening new offices in other countries?

We have been doing quite well lately in Benin and Burkina Faso. They are investing quite substantially. Mali is also starting to pick up quite strongly. We have not opened any new offices, though. The next few years will be quite good for us.

Of the different divisions that you have, which one do you want to push the most?

We do a lot of CSR and we try to assist the underprivileged, heart foundations, as well as sports because we want to encourage young people to achieve their dreams and represent the nation.

At the moment, we are concentrating on putting the most effort on agriculture. Agriculture combines the main pipes to bring the water to the sites and the new technology we have introduced in the region, drip piping, assists farmers in getting a much better product, a better yield, and better fruit at the end of the year. The future of the region is in agriculture and we would like to accompany all governments to achieve their targets. We have to plant what we eat and not import it.

Are the people fully aware of the advantages of the new system?

It is a new system so there is a lot of education that has to follow this new initiative of ours. We need to show people how it works and usually it takes a bit of time when you are introducing a new product. But it is a no-brainer. If you want to farm, this is how you have to farm. People are quite smart and they will take to it pretty quickly. But the idea is to show them how it works.

Can you explain the concept?

It is very simple. The idea is to give water purely to the roots of the plant and not to waste the water around it unnecessarily. By giving water to the roots year-round, it allows you to farm year-round. It can give you more yield per year. The idea is to save money and to farm better. Too much water or too little water on a plant is not good. This system allows you to give the plant exactly the amount of water it needs for it to give you more revenue and a better fruit or vegetable. Throughout the world, this is the technique that is being used and it should be used in this part of the world as well.

Do you keep abreast of new technology?

We have a team of experts in agriculture who work for us. We do not want to put too much into the market to confuse it. Some techniques are quite advanced and may be a bit too early for this part of the world. At the moment, we want to deal with what we have which is farming on the ground and do it properly.

What other sectors is Interplast involved in?

Interplast is divided into many sectors. We do profiles, doors and windows of extremely good quality as well as ceilings. We also are involved in construction and development. Inesfly is an insecticide company that is a sister company of Interplast and the idea behind it is to help people with all insect problems. They have paint that people apply to their homes that works wonders because any insect that goes within a meter of the wall is affected by this product. It has changed my life. If it is applied properly, it works up to two years, and after that you can reapply another coat of paint. It is not only for mosquitos, but also for cockroaches, spiders, etc. All sorts of crawling animals will be affected by this product. It is a fantastic way of saving lives and giving people a better environment where they can live and work.

What CSR activities are you involved in?

We do a lot of CSR and we try to assist the underprivileged, heart foundations, as well as sports because we want to encourage young people to achieve their dreams and represent the nation. We do quite a lot, especially for the environment. We also assist the needy a great deal.

Regarding the waste produced, how do you recycle?

We have zero waste. Whenever we start up a new production line, there is a bit waste, but we recycle everything in house. All the product that comes out of our machines that is not up to standard is used to make products that are not very quality sensitive or would be under pressure especially in the water sector. Our waste is 0.0001%. We have practically no waste.

What current projects are you working on?

We are expanding a few of our production lines to improve them and expand the output. Our capacity is quite underutilized. We have a huge capacity and the idea is to attain close to our maximum output before we do anything new. In terms of product range, we are doing well for now. We will stick to where we are for this year and look to the new year.

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