06/07/2012  (Ghana) - More than 2,600 farmers in the Western Region have been provided with 1.4 million oil palm seedlings to wean them off illegal mining activities which tend to degrade the environment and pollute water bodies. The move is part of a sustainable livelihood empowerment programme.The project, which was spearheaded by the Minerals Commission in the Western Region, covers areas such as Wassa Amoansa, Bogoso, Nsuta Nbease, Huni Valley and Haiman.

The beneficiary former galamsey operators and members of the communities have so far cultivated more than 20,000 acres in various locations in the region.

Briefing the delegation, Mr Richard Kofi Afenu, the head of Structure Policy and Planning of the Minerals Commission, said before the project started, they had negotiated with Unilever, Ghana, which had expressed interest in buying the fruits. He said the commission worked together with Unilever on the quality of seedlings that would produce the right kind of palm fruit which would meet the standards of the company.

Mr Afenu said since those farmers could not wait till the maturity of the palm trees before earning some income, they were taught the process of inter-cropping. The inter-cropping, he said, had provided the farmers with additional income and food for subsistence and commercial purposes.He said the officials who supervised the development of the nurseries had also helped the farmers in identifying other crops that could flourish in their localities and also nurse them for transplanting.

The Chief Executive of the Minerals Commission, Mr Ben Ayeh, said initially when the project took off, they helped the farmers to clear the land but when funds were running out that aspect could not be sustained.

Mr Hammah applauded the efforts of the commission and said the effects of galamsey on the environment could not be overlooked. He said realising the future benefits of inter-cropping which provided them with some income, the people bought into the idea and were clearing the land for nursing of the seedlings.

One of the beneficiaries, Mr Timothy Eshun, a galamsy operator, told the Daily Graphic that when he arrived at Huni-Valley, he did not have any plan of becoming a farmer.

“After listening to the officials of the commission, who came to explain the dangers galamsey posed to our lives and the environment, I decided to move into farming and today I have a large track of oil palm plantation.