A 30 hectare rubber plantation belonging to Ghana Rubber Estate Limited (GREL) has been destroyed by some unscrupulous people who are reportedly hiding at Gyabenkrom, one of the host communities of the rubber company.
The criminals have allegedly cut down about 19,000 rubber trees at Blocks A1, A2 and B6 for reasons that are yet to be determined by the police, who are pursuing the suspects.
According to The Chronicle sources, the affected rubber trees were replanted in 2021 and 2022 at the cost of 100,000 Euroswhen the miscreants decided to cut down the rubber trees.
The latest destruction of the plantation comes less than a week after GREL had supported some of its host communities, who were affected and displaced by flood, with relief items at a total cost of GH¢130,000.
The relief items were shared among host communities in Ahanta West and Nzema East, including Abura.
Taking Journalist and chiefs round the areas where the rubber treeswere cut down, Shaibu Karimu Bayugo, Plantation Development Manager of GREL said his team discovered the destruction on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week.
He indicated that because of the sheer size of the plantation, management could not deploy to patrol it in the night.
The delegation that inspected the destruction included; Nana Kwesi Agyemang XI, Omanhene of Lower Dixcove, AwulaeAttibrukusu III, Omanhene of Axim, Awulae Agyefi Kwame, Omanhene of Nsei and Awulae Amihere Kpanyile, Omanhene of Eastern Nzema.
The rest were AwulaeAngamatuo Gyan III, Omanhene of Gwira, Nana KuranchiePanyin III, Essamang and Nana EssumanPanyin, Adontehene of Abura.
ACLANGO
The Association of Chiefs on whose Land GREL operate (ACLANGO) condemned what it termed as devious acts of vandalism, illegal takeover and occupation of GREL lands by some persons.
The Association recounted that similar destruction of 11,252 rubber trees occurred last year, July, in the same community.
“This act is extremely criminal, barbaric, backward and non-progressive,” they said.
Since 1993, GREL and chiefs through ACLANGO have been working and living peacefully and anytime a community needed portions of GRELS’s legally acquired concession for community expansion or any developmental project, the parties engage each other in a peaceful manner until an agreement is reached.
However, for some persons to take the law into their own hands and enter the plantation of GREL and cut down trees in protest for land, the Association of Nzema chiefs noted, was backward.
The statement, issued by Chairman of ACLANGO, Nana Kwesi Agyemang, indicated that in the past four years, some purporting to serve the interest of Nananom have been encroaching on GREL’s legally acquired lands for various use.
“The sudden trend of forceful take-over of GREL lands under the guise of community expansion and for gallamsey, can be best described as an act of illegality that needs to be condemned.
“We ACLANGO, vehemently condemn the destruction of GREL plantation and other violent attacks on staff”, they said.
GREL is yet to issue a formal statement over the destruction. However, the Corporate Affairs Manager of the company, Perry Acheampong has denied that his company has a misunderstanding with the community, hence the destruction.
He said the company has good relationship with Gyabenkrom and just last six weeks, it had engagement with the community.
The refreshing news, he told newsmen, was that the community is cooperating with GREL to help fish out the perpetrators behind the destruction.
