Asankrangwa (W/R), July 25, GNA – The Forestry Research Institute at the weekend organized a one-day workshop on illegal logging for farmers at Asankrangwa.

The workshop, which was under the theme “Strengthening the Capabilities of Forest Fringe Communities in Southern Ghana” was aimed at halting illegal logging.

The event was funded by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the European Union.

Speaking at the workshop, Mr Sparkler Samar, a Research Social Scientist at the Forest Research Institute, said Ghana has signed a Voluntary Partnership Agreement with the European Union to ensure that timber products exported to the union are legally acquired, harvested and transported.

He said due to the agreement, individuals and communities would benefit from stumpage fees and land rents through a “guaranteed share of formal timber royalties”.

Mr Joseph Bempah, Wassa Amenfi West District Forestry Officer, called for tree felling to be more transparent.

He urged farmers to embrace the idea of planting and maintaining trees on their farm to sustain the climate for growing cocoa and other cash crops.

Mr Michael Okine, Customer Services Officer at the District Forest Services Division, called on farmers living in communities close to forest reserves to register with Cocoa Buying Companies for seedlings.

He said Samartex Limited has been collaborating with the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease Control Unit and Cocoa Purchasing Companies to provide tree seedlings for the rehabilitation of depleted reserve areas that have been turned into cocoa farms.