247 Farmers receive improved coconut, palm oil seedlings
The Tano South Municipal Assembly has distributed 13,000 improved coconut and 8,000 palm oil seedlings to 247 farmers in nine communities to boost coconut and palm oil production in the municipality.
The beneficiary farming communities are Bechem, Techimantia, Derma, Dwomo, Mansin, Kwasu, Tweapease, Ankaase and Brosankro.
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According to the assembly, the free distribution of the seedlings had created more than 171 jobs for unemployed youth in the municipality.
The presentation formed part of the government’s flagship programme: "Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD)", which is one of the modules of the Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) initiative.
The assembly is investing in the two commodities for the area to become the major producer and exporter in the country.
Assembly meeting
The Tano South Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Collins Offinam-Takyi, disclosed this in his address during the second meeting of the third session of the assembly at Bechem in the Ahafo Region.
He explained that so far, farmers in the municipality had cultivated a total of 62.5 acres of coconut and oil palm plantations since the implementation of the PERD programme.
Mr Offinam-Takyi mentioned 12.5-acre coconut plantations at Kwasu and Mansin and 12.5 acre palm plantations at Derma, Dwomo and Tweapease as some of the plantations of the two crops in the area.
Appeal
He appealed to assembly members in the area to sensitise their electorate, particularly the unemployed youth, to take advantage of the futuristic initiatives to improve their economic fortunes in the future.
Mr Offinam-Takyi said farmers in the municipality continued to benefit from the PFJs programme through the distribution of the government's subsidised improved seedlings and fertiliser.
He said the Municipal Department of Agriculture extended extension services to 3,376 farmers in all the three operational zones such as Bechem, Techimantia and Derma, to ensure the successful implementation of the PFJ Programme.
Mr Offinam-Takyi said out of the total number of 3,376 beneficiary farmers, 2,341 were males and 1,035 females.
Potential conflict
He said despite the peaceful nature in the municipality, there were some underpinnings that had the potential to disturb peace in the area.
Mr Offinam-Takyi said the boundary disputes between Brosankro and Tepa traditional areas and land disputes between the Derma settler communities and developers were threatening the peace of the municipality.
He also mentioned illegal mining activities in some parts of the municipality and the recent installation of Mponuahene of the Techimantia Traditional Area by Omanhene of Duayaw-Nkwanta as other issues, threatening the peace of the area.
Mr Offinam-Takyi said the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) was aware of those potential conflicts that were likely to disrupt the peace in the municipality.
He said the MUSEC had put requisite strategies to pick the early warning signals to avert any escalation of security threats in those areas.
Revenue mobilisation
On revenue mobilisation, Mr Offinam-Takyi said the assembly had put in place about seven measures to improve revenue mobilisation in the municipality.
He said the assembly had 39 revenue collectors, explaining that 28 of them were on commission, while the 11 of them were paid by the central government.
He said since the cardinal means to raise the needed funds to meet the demands of the people was through effective mobilisation of their IGF, no stone would be left unturned to initiate a number of measures to enhance its revenue performance.
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