The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has funded the establishment of a One Million oil palm seedlings for distribution to farmers at Dunkwa-On-Offin in the Upper Denkyira East Municipality of the Central Region under the Alternative Livelihood Programme (ALP) for the 2019 planting season.
The ALP is one of the priority initiatives of the Ministry which sought to provide oil palm seedlings to farmers in mining communities to discourage illegal mining and provide sustainable livelihoods to the communities impacted by mining.
The Ministry with funding from the Minerals Development Fund (MDF), contracted Richie Plantation, a private company to nurse and distribute one million oil palm seedlings per year over a four-year period. at the cost of GhC 9.7 million to farmers in Mining Communities. The Hon. Minister, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh lifted the first load of oil palm seedling into truck to start the distribution of the oil palm seedlings to beneficiaries described the livelihood support programme as a sustainable way to deal with the impact of illegal mining in affected communities.
Hon. Asomah-Cheremeh was accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Naana Eyiah, the Chairman of Minerals Commission, Hon. S.K. Boafo, the Chairperson of MDF, Mrs. Esther Happy Egyani, Administrator Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands – Mrs. Christian Bobobee, and other top officials of Agencies under the Ministry.
Mrs. Egyani said the MDF, in collaboration with the Ministry would monitor the activities of the beneficiaries of the oil palm seedlings to ensure that the desired impact was made in the mining communities. Speaking at the ceremony, the CEO of Richie Plantations Ltd, Mr. Ekow Quansah announced that the Company had begun the necessary processes to set up oil palm processing factory at Dunkwa-On-Offin by 2023. The factory was meant to create ready market for oil palm and for job creation.
