A total of about 77.5 acres of maize farm has been destroyed in the Chai and Asukawkwa forest reserves with collaborative efforts from guards and rapid response units of the Forestry Commission.

Mr Akwasi Adjei Adomako, the Krachi East Municipal Forestry Commander, who disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in Dambai, in the Oti region said their intelligence led to the arrest of the culprit, one Lumba Akatsi, who illegally entered into the restricted area and cultivated the produce without permission, hence, the destruction.

Mr Akwasi Adjei said upon assumption of duty in Karachi East he found out that some recalcitrant members of the public have continued to secretly enter into the reserve for their self-serving agenda of either felling timber or destroy some segments of the resource for farming activities, which is a breach of their statutes.

He said the reserves have, thus, witnessed declining tree or vegetative cover resulting from these illegal activities, which needed to be stemmed.

He said that the farmer was arrested and currently on police enquiry bail to assist in investigation.

He believed that the arrest and prosecution of Lumbar served as a deterrent to those in the habit of destroying national resources for parochial means.

Mr Adomako said the Commission has stepped up afforestation exercise and had planted about 31,000 trees both on and off-reserve while, 44,000 of teak, Mahogany and Odum trees had also been planted to restore the reserve.