Kyebi (E/R), May 29, GNA- The Forest Plantation Development Fund Management Board has presented tree growing equipments worth 120.6 million cedis to five tree growing associations in the Eastern Region. The items presented included cutlasses, buckets, fire beaters, garden line hoes, head pans, hand trowels, knapsack sprayers, mattocks, watering cans, Wellington boots and wheel barrows.

The beneficiaries of the items included Okyeman Forest Brigade, Kwahu South Tree Growers Association, Kwabeng Tree Growers Association, Yilo Krobo Tree Growers Association and Adadeintem Tree Growers Association.

Speaking at the function, the chairman of the Forest Plantation Development Fund Management Board(FPDFM), Osagyefuo Amotia Ofori Panin, Okyenhene said the Board found out to its surprise that many of the first beneficiaries of the fund never used the money to grow trees. He explained that because of the incident, the Board decided to stop the disbursement of the fund to ensure that those who benefited from the fund were really engaged in tree planting hence the delay in the disbursement of the fund.

Osagyefuo Ofori Panin said the Board would not allow the threat by some people to politicise the disbursement of the fund to rush them into taking decisions that would not benefit the country.

He warned the beneficiaries of the presentation that the items were not for sale and so anybody seen offering any of them for sale would be arrested and handed over to the law enforcement agencies. Osagyefuo Ofori Panin said the presentation would be organized in series and after the presentation to tree growers in the southern sector of the country, the presentation would be extended to the northern sector.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Yaw Barimah called on other traditional authorities to learn from the example of Okyenhene in his fight for the protection of the forest resources of the country. He promised the support of his administration to the development of forest plantations in the region. 29 May 2005