Mr. Maurice Jonas Woode, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Akrofuom, in conjunction with Alex Blankson, Member of Parliament (MP) for Akrofuom Constituency, has distributed free coconut seedlings to the Youth in Agriculture initiative.
Each person received 140 seedlings, which cost GH¢20 each.
About 10,000 seedlings have been supplied to cover approximately 144 acres of land in the district, based upon the assumption that one acre of land could accommodate about 70 coconuts.
The DCE said the objective was to encourage communities that relied primarily on mining to recognise the profitability and advantages of farming, and help create a shift towards agriculture-friendly economies that could provide new job opportunities and promote sustainable growth.
Mr. Jonas Woode explained that the aim was not only to distribute coconut seedlings to farmers, but also to utilise them as raw material for a future coconut processing factory in the district.
He disclosed that extension officers had been deployed to monitor the seedlings planted by the farmers to prevent disease and provide support to those encountering difficulties in their farming activities.
The DCE advised the beneficiaries to take proper care of their crops to ensure that they matured within the specified time period.
The Member of Parliament, Alex Blankson, said his office was collaborating with the DCE to make farming more profitable in the district, hence, the distribution of the coconut seedlings to the communities over the past three years.
He said the collaboration had realised that a previous distribution had yielded positive results, hence, the motivation to continue distributing the seedlings every year.
Mr. Blankson revealed that the ultimate goal of the distribution of the seedlings was to increase the production of coconuts in the district, which would enable the establishment of a coconut processing factory to provide opportunity to create jobs and support the local economy through the processing of coconut raw materials and encourage the youth who are skeptical about farming to get involved in the Youth in Agriculture programme.
The MP stated that they had planned to plant some of the seedlings to reclaim lands destroyed by illegal mining activities and restore them for productive use.
He believes that by highlighting the profitability of coconut farming, those involved in mining would be willing to collaborate to plant coconut trees on mined lands.
The approach, he said, would help to not only regain the damaged lands, but also contribute to the district’s coconut production.
Daniel Badu Avonyo, Assembly Member for Nkoransa electoral area, who received 70 seedlings, expressed delight in receiving them for free due to the high cost in the market.
