More
lands to be released to farmers along depleted
forest reserve
Accra, Nov. 22, GNA - About 352.86 hectares of
degraded lands have been released to 2,141 farmers
located around the degraded forest along the Sui
River Forest Reserve in the Sefwi Akontombra
constituency for cultivation under a regulated
system, Professor Dominic Fobih, Minister of Lands,
Forestry and Mines, said in parliament on Wednesday.
He said the performance of the participating farmers
was found to be high and therefore there were plans
to release an additional 400 hectares to them within
the next three years.
The Minister was responding to a question from Mr
Herod Cobbinah (NDC-Sefwi Akontombra) on plans to
release farmlands and portions of the depleted Tano
Satoma-Sui Forest Reserves to farmers for food crop
production.
Answering another question on the relocation of the
Accra Zoo, Prof. Fobih said government had released
1.2 billion cedis to rehabilitate and improve
facilities at the Kumasi zoo to receive the animals
from Accra as well as cater for their transportation
cost.
"Because of the amount involved in the exercise, we
had to go strictly by the Public Procurement Act
(Act663)."
"The work has been divided into two lots to speed up
its completion for the animals to be moved to Kumasi
by the end of November, 2006," he added.
He said in the meantime, boxes for the
transportation of the animals were being constructed
in Accra and immediately any of the cages in Kumasi
was ready, the respective animals would be taken
there.
Mr Ofosu Asamoah, (NPP-Kade) wanted to know why the
animals could not be relocated to the game reserve
at Shai Hills, to free them from the cages.
The Minister said it was considered but the
environment was unsuitable because the animals were
domesticated and it would not be proper to leave
them in the wild.
In answer to another question on plans to develop
the Bia National Park in the Western Region to
attract tourists, Prof. Fobih said a management plan
to harness the eco-tourism potentials of the park
has been completed since 2002.
"Implementation of the management plan began in 2004
and is expected to be completed in 2009."
GNA
