By Erica Apeatua Addo
Pepesa (W/R), July 10, GNA – Eighteen farmers in Pepesa, within the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality, have been provided support by the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) to launch an oil palm nursery production enterprise named "Ecopalms GH."
The group, consisting of fifteen women and three men, has already raised 24,000 premium oil palm seedlings, with 23,000 of them set to be bought by the Foundation and given to 500 farmers within three years.
However, the farmers are required to find their own buyers for the remaining 1,000 oil palm seedlings, as the Foundation will not continue purchasing indefinitely.
Revealing the initiative in Pepesa, Mr. Abdel-Razak Yakubu, Executive Secretary of GFGF, mentioned that Ecopalms GH was established to grow saplings when they started oil palm farming in their local areas.
He stated, "We used to travel to Kade in the Eastern Region to get seedlings for farmers. The long trip affected the quality of the seedlings and increased our costs; therefore, we chose to grow our own seedlings locally."
Mr. Yakubu mentioned that the residents of Pepesa provided them with a plot of land, and they gathered 18 community members to establish the company called Ecopalms GH.
As per the executive secretary, the Business Resource Division within the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality assisted the farmers in establishing the company, and they have fulfilled the necessary criteria.
"What's intriguing about the program is that GFGF allocated approximately GH¢180,000 to it. The whole initiative spanned eight months, and following that, the Foundation purchased one seedling for GH¢12, meaning they have earned GH¢280,000," he explained.
Mr. Yakubu stated, "We are purchasing the saplings at a lower cost since the Foundation helped set up the nursery and covered the expenses for the seeds and all related costs. Each of these saplings can be sold for GH¢27."
He also stated that "GFGF is assisting its host communities in recognizing that, with these significant opportunities present, they don't need to turn to illegal mining, which is highly dangerous."
He stated that after successfully finishing the oil palm initiative, the Foundation would soon start working on a coconut cultivation project.
Dr. Isaac Danso, Principal Research Scientist and Director at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Oil Palm Research Institute (CSIR-OPRI), stated that oil palm is the second most significant cash crop in Ghana. However, current production amounts to 350,000 metric tonnes annually, resulting in a shortfall of 50,000 metric tonnes.
He mentioned that in order to tackle the shortfall, the government established the Tree Crop Development Authority to oversee and define the operations of industry participants.
"One issue we encounter is the widespread presence of counterfeit oil palm seedlings, but Ecopalms GH obtained their planting materials from CSIR, a recognized organization that focuses on producing authentic hybrid oil palm plants," Dr. Danso stated.
He emphasized that using appropriate planting materials and effective methods would enable Ecopalms GH to boost output and narrow the difference between supply and demand.
Dr. Danso assured that they would establish a collaboration with Ecopalms GH and potentially sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enable access to their technologies.
Mr. Solomon Quaicoe, Director of Ecopalms GH, expressed gratitude to the GFGF for their generous support and collaboration, and pledged to strive harder to serve farmers across the country.
GNA
Edited by Justina Paaga/Kenneth Odeng Adade