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Forest Plantations Development Fund
disburses GHC6 million for support services
Sunyani (B/A), Aug.
1, Ghanadot/GNA– The Forest Plantations Development Fund
Management Board, has since its establishment in the year
2002 disbursed more than GHC6 million to support the
national forest plantation development programme.
Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin 11, Okyehene and chairman of
the Board, who disclosed this, said the amount provided to
the forestry commission had been used to cultivate 53,000
hectares of taungya plantations.
The Okyehene said this when he presented variety of nursery
tools worth GHC 18,000 to six forest fringe communities in
the Brong Ahafo Region on Thursday.
Koradaso, Twumasikrom, Buoku, Konsua, Subiriso and Wamanafo
communities would benefit from the package comprising
buckets, cutlasses, rakes, wheel barrows, shovels, spraying
machines, head pans, wellington boots, metal nets, watering
cans, pick axes among others.
He explained that Brong Ahafo was selected to be the first
to receive the nursery tools due to the fact that the region
had reforested the largest area of degraded forests since
the President’s Special Initiative on Forest Plantations was
launched in 2001.
Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin stressed the need to protect
the country’s forest resources since the sector produced six
per cent of Gross Domestic Products and employed 120,000
people in the formal sector. He said the Forestry
Commission directly supported the livelihoods of more than
two million Ghanaians.
Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin said “It is also worth noting
that firewood and charcoal amounts to 63 percent of total
energy reaching the consumer in Ghana. Petroleum products
and electricity follow with 27 percent and about nine
percent respectively and inspite of the importance of the
forestry sector, forest-dependent communities are among the
poorest in the country”, he said.
He noted that Ghana was severely threatened by rapid
depletion of its forestry resources leading to a reduction
in the productive capacity of the forests.
Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin said “In addition the annual
timber harvest is almost four times the annual allowable cut
resulting in an estimated annual forest resource depletion
cost of between four to six per cent of Gross Domestic
Products”.
The Okyehene said the Board had supported more than 1,000
individuals and 60 communities to plant trees on farmlands
and that tree seedlings including fruit trees had been
supplied to schools, district and municipal assemblies and
other public sector organisations for planting.
Mr. Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, Regional Minister noted that
Ghana had been grappling with the issue of rapid
deforestation of its forests, which had largely been as a
result of high population growth, increased incidence of
wildfire and illegal logging.
He said forestry was one of the most important economic
sectors in the region and that the timber industry there had
rapidly declined, requiring urgent steps to revamp the
industry.
Mr. Baffour-Awuah expressed optimism that the on-going
national forest plantation development programme would
enhance forest resource management in the region.
GNA
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