A KIA truck loaded with bags of maize impounded from illegal maize farms in Tent 2 Forest Reserves at Odumase in the Sunyani West District has been donated to Sunyani Central Prisons by Forest Services Division, Sunyani.

The maize is to complement daily rations of inmates in the prisons. A Sunyani District Court A fined two farmers— Kwesi Tweni, 42, and Boateng Serbia— guilty of farming in a forest reserve and intentionally destroying 42,000 timber seedlings in the process of cultivating the maize farm.

The court, presided over by Worship Jojoe Hagan, sentenced Kwesi Tweni into eight months’ imprisonment. After his prison term, Tweni is to go back and replant the area with timber seedlings he destroyed. His accomplice, Boateng Serbia, was also fined 100 penalty units. The court further directed that the produce from the maize farm should be disposed of.

As such, the Forest Services Division Sunyani decided to donate the maize to the prisons to help in their daily rations. Presenting the maize to authorities of the prison, District Forestry Manager, Bennet Ntiamoah, said the court issued out a clearance for the maize, so they thought it wise to present it to the inmates.

Receiving the items, Assistant Director of Prisons, Raphael Tuekpe, thanked the district manager for the gesture and mentioned that it was going to significantly augment their feeding.