Oil palm plantation project on reclaimed mine lands launched at Kunasu

A total of 1,430 oil-palm seedlings have been planted on a 22-acre post-mined lands by farmers at Kunasu, near Mankranso in the Ahafo-Ano South West District of Ashanti.The plantation project, which currently involves 22 farmers, forms part of a project to turn the reclaimed mine lands in the area into oil palm plantation and cowpea production.It is being implemented by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in collaboration with the Ahafo-Ano South West District assembly, with funding from the Consultative Group of International Agriculture research (CGIAR).The project, which is part of the 'Inclusive Landscape Management for Shared Prosperity', aims at reclaiming the mined lands in the area and fertilize them for agricultural production by providing technical and material support to community members.This will help them to design and manage the landscape of the reclaimed degraded lands for farming purposes.Dr Gerald Atampugre, the Director, IWMI, said the project would not only help turn the lands into a profitable venture, but also support food production and improve the incomes and livelihoods of the farmers.Mr Joseph Frimpong Bonsu, the District Chief Executive (DCE) urged the farmers to take good care of the farms and make the project profitable.He charged the youth in the area to take advantage and actively get involved instead of engaging in illegal mining activities.Nana Obeng Agyemang, the Krontihene of the town, who chaired the function, urged the farmers to use the portions of land released to them for the farming purpose and desist from diverting them into illegal mining and other activities.He cautioned livestock farmers to avoid leaving their animals astray to destroy the farms and encouraged them to report such activities promptly for legal action since both the traditional council and the Assembly support the programme.Source: Ghana News Agency