The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has distributed One Million oil palm seedlings to farmers at Dunkwa-On-Offin in the Upper Denkyira East municipality of the Central Region under the alternative livelihood support programme for the 2019 planting season.
The alternative livelihood programme which is one of the priority initiatives of the Ministry, sought to provide oil palm seedlings to farmers in mining communities to discourage illegal mining and provide sustainable livelihoods to community dwellers.
The Ministry under the Minerals Development Fund (MDF), provided GHC3 million to Richie Plantation, a private entity to nurse and distribute two million oil palm seedlings to farmers in the Mining Communities. The Hon. Minister, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh who 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 the most 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 Lands Ministry would monitor the activities of the beneficiaries of the oil palm seedlings to ensure that the desired impact was made on the mining communities. Speaking at the ceremony, the CEO of Richie Plantations Ltd, Mr. Ekow Quansah announced that the Company had begun the necessary processess 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 jobs.
