Koforidua, March 30, GNA- The National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) is nursing a total of 4.5 million seedlings of teak and cedrelia for sale under the Government's forestation programme. An agreement has been signed between NADMO and the Ministry of Lands and Forestry. The National Coordinator of NADMO, Brig. Joseph K. Odei, said this when he inspected a total of 120,000 teak and 70,000 cedrelia seedling nurseries at the New Juaben Seedling Development Forest Project at Koforidua on Monday.

The project is being undertaken by the NADMO Disaster Volunteer Corps. The 190,000 seedlings nursed by the NADMO Disaster Volunteer Corps was part of a total 300,000 seedlings target to be raised this year.

Brig. Odei is on a five-day visit to inspect NADMO seedling nurseries created in some of the districts in the Eastern Region, under which the Ghana Plantation Development Programme had contracted it to raise 1.1 million seedlings of teak and cedrelia in the region for planting this year. Speaking during the inspection, he said the 1.1 million seedlings are to be raised by the end of May, this year, for re-planting, saying, the seedlings will be sold at 300 cedis each and it is expected to generate an income of over 300 million cedis for the region.

Brig. Odei said, apart from the Eastern region, similar projects are also being undertaken in Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Western and Central regions. He explained that the NADMO decided to participate in the project to offer employment for members of the volunteer corps in the various communities to earn a living. He said NADMO provided T-shirts and Wellington boots to the volunteers while the Ministry of Lands and Forestry provided plastic bags, seedlings and technical assistance. He said the seond phase of the programme involving the planting of the seedlings in the forest reserves to be decided by the Ministry of Lands and Forestry would start as soon as the seedlings are raised.

Mr Seth Ahyiah, Eastern Regional Coordinator of NADMO who conducted Brig. Odei round the nurseries, said the region would raise the target before May, this year. Brig. Odei was impressed after the tour about the work done by the New Juaben NADMO. He is expected to inspect similar projects in the Yilo Krobo, Fanteakwa, East Akim, Kwahu South and Afram Plains districts.