Offinso (Ash), Feb 1, GNA - The Offinso District Assembly has nursed a total of one million seedlings of cocoa, citrus and oil palm for distribution to farmers in the area to increase agricultural productivity.

The project aims among others at boosting the production of such crops to improve incomes and reduce poverty especially among the youth. Mr Augustine Charles Ntim, Offinso District Chief Executive, said this when Mr George Isaac Amoo, National Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) inspected the project at Offinso as part of his weeklong tour of the Ashanti region. He said the project, started two years ago, had been funded from the Poverty Alleviation Fund of the assembly and support from other sources.

Mr Ntim said last year, more than 3,000 temporary jobs were created through the various processes associated with the project. The DCE said this year about 30 people have been employed by the assembly as caretakers for watering and maintenance of the seed gardens scattered in some of the communities including Afrancho, Akomadan, Nkenkansu and Kobreso.

Mr Ntim said farmers, who would benefit from such project were to pay token amounts to the assembly to ensure transplanting of the seeds to their farms.

He commended the staff of NADMO for their dedicated services and assistance towards the project. Mr Amoo lauded the assembly for embarking on such a project and expressed the hope it would be sustained to improve the livelihood of the people.

He announced that the focus of the NADMO is to shift from the provision of relief items to prevention of disasters. The National Co-ordinator therefore appealed to churches, traditional rulers, students and the media to assist in creating the awareness about the dangers of disasters and the need to minimise and reduce them.

He assured that his outfit would provide the assembly with the necessary logistics for the project as well as providing fire volunteers with incentives packages to motivate them to work harder. Mr Amoo earlier paid separate courtesy calls on the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu-Ansah and Madam Patricia Appiagyei, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive.