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Offinso
district to benefit from Jathropha plant cultivation
Asuoso (Ash), April 26, GNA – Offinso district has been
selected among two others in the Ashanti region to pilot the
large scale cultivation of Jathropha plant popularly known
as “Nkrangyedua” to produce biofuel in the country.
The two other districts are Sekyere East and West.
The project is part of the long-term initiatives by the
government to identify alternative sources of fuel to
augment national fuel stock and also reduce the shocks the
country often experiences during crude oil price hikes on
the international market and its subsequent fuel price
increases in the country.
Mr Augustine Collins Ntim, District Chief Executive for
Offinso, who announced this, said 300 farmers in the
district were expected to cultivate about 350 hectares of
Jathropha plant in the district.
He said the project would not only help to reduce fuel
importation into the country and frequent fuel price
increases, but would also serve as poverty alleviation
intervention for farmers.
Addressing separate durbars of chiefs and people in some
communities in the Offinso North constituency of the
district, Mr Ntim said the Jathropha plant, which had a
lifespan of about 40 years, could be harvested every two
weeks when it began to bear fruits.
Among the towns and villages visited were Tawiakrom,
Mantukwa, Kobreso, Asuoso, Nkubesa, Bosomposo, Nyinatase,
Tanokwaem, Asempanaye, Nkwankwaa, Mankramso and Seseko.
Mr Ntim pointed out that a good government was the one which
initiated and implemented good policies and programmes that
helped to improve the living standards and conditions of the
people.
He mentioned the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS),
capitation grant, school feeding programme and National
Youth Employment Programme as some of the good policies
which the government was implementing to benefit the people.
The DCE advised the people to register with the NHIS in
order to benefit from affordable quality health care
delivery and also take advantage of the capitation grant to
send their children to school.
He appealed to the people to live in unity and rekindle
their communal spirit in order to speed up the development
process of their communities.
The chief of Asuoso, Nana Bofour Takyi III, appealed to the
government to split the district into two, to make it easy
to manage and also promote speedy development of the
communities.
The communities appealed for the rehabilitation of their
local classroom blocks, provision of potable water,
reconstruction of roads linking their villages and the
provision of credit facilities, especially to women to
expand their businesses.
GNA
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