Abekoase (W/R)-Ghana, October 27, GNA – Gold Fields Ghana Foundation, has launched an oil palm project at Abekoase in the Huni-Valley Municipality, as a means of sustaining livelihoods in its host communities.
The Foundation have indicated that out of the 285 farmers who earlier on benefitted from the programme when it was initiated years ago, only 157 farmers showed interest and they have been selected for this phase of the project.
Launching the project at Abekoase in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality, Mr Robert Siaw, Regional Sustainability Manager, Gold Fields, West Africa Operations, said almost 40 per cent of the beneficiaries were female farmers, an indication that Gold Fields was committed to the affirmative action.
He said various inputs such as fertilizers, weedicides, pesticides, knapsack sprayers, wellington boots and overalls, would be distributed to support the beneficiaries in their farming activities.
“They have already been supplied with 23,005 high Tenera seedlings, which have been cultivated. The total cost of inputs and training organized for farmers was estimated at GH￠822,000.00,” Mr Siaw indicated.
He emphasized that “Gold Fields was much aware of the role of sustainable financing in this endeavour, it was for this reason that, we are facilitating the registration of all farmers under the ‘Promprom’ Cooperative credit union, which was set to assist ‘YouHoP ‘project for farmers in particular, and all host community residents to access reasonably cheap finance for their activities”.
He thanked the Ministry of Food and Agriculture Directorates for the immense support to the project and appealed to it to do same in this phase.
Mr Siaw announced that as part of the Foundation’s contribution to agriculture and food security in host communities, they have invested in livestock rearing and food crop production under the SEED programme.
They have also established 250 acres of oil palm plantation in Awudua and Abekoase as well as supported over 300 farmers in wholesome vegetable production under the YouHoP project.
Nana Benyin Acquah Thomson, Municipal Director of Agriculture, Tarkwa-Nsuaem, advised the farmers to work closely with the agriculture extension officers in their communities for all the technical assistance.
He said officials of the department of agriculture would be visiting the farms of the beneficiaries to monitor their activities and ensure the right things were done.
Over 17 years ago, Gold Fields Ghana, their host communities together with Opportunity Industrialization Centers International, implemented a five-year sustainable community empowerment and economic Development programme christened SEED and it focused on education, health and alternative livelihood including value addition.
Under the Alternative Livelihood Programme module, the best project was the oil palm project where Gold Fields supplied Tenera seedlings to selected farmers for cultivation.
However, very few beneficiaries were committed and over time, they started benefiting from the multiple value of the oil palm trees, including ready income when they sold their produce to the oil processing entities at Tarkwa and its environs.
In recent years, there have been a renewed interest and a call from community members on Gold Fields to re-introduce the oil palm project, probably after these farmers had witnessed the benefits accruing to the few committed farmers.
