Bussiness
Land litigation, estate developers disrupting food production in Awutu-Senya – Agric Director
Mr Edward Laryea koney, the Municipal Director of Agriculture of Awutu-Senya-East of the Central Region, has stated that land litigation coupled with activities of estate developers, was taking a toll on agriculture production in the area.
According to him, the phenomenon, which continued to cause a reduction in farmlands, did not only disturb food production but also affected the livelihoods of farmers.
“Estate developers are taking over all the lands. Someone will start farming and then somebody from nowhere will come and claim ownership of the land, sometimes, turning into a court case. So, most of the farmers are now ‘perching’ on the farm lands.
“Other times the owners reclaim the land at a time the crops have not mature and they don’t even allow them to harvest before the land is taken away from them”, he lamented.
Mr Koney was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview on the sidelines of the Municipality’s Farmers Day celebration and indicated that the Area was now shifting towards non-traditional farming, which required a small area of land to undertake.
He said his office was mobilising the youth and equipping them with the necessary training and logistics for the new farming module.
“What we are doing now is that we are forming groups so that they will go into non-traditional farming like rabbit rearing, grasscutter, and poultry, which actually occupy just a small area.
“There are people who are into mushroom production as at now and so, we are mobilising the young ones to train them to go into this non-traditional farming because of the land issues,” he explained.
Mr Koney said his outfit was negotiating with the Assembly for support to enable them realise that vision.
Touching on other issues, Mr Koney disclosed that the recent case of bird flu that rocked some parts of the country this year, ravaged six farms in the municipality where a total of 3,970 birds were affected between July and October.
Of the number, 1,327 of the birds died before the laboratory confirmation results from the Accra Veterinary Laboratory were received.
The rest, he revealed, were destroyed and a destruction certificate issued while intensive surveillance was also instituted to prevent further outbreak, he added.
The Agriculture Director, disclosed that there had not been any case of bird flu for the past one month and prayed for its complete eradication. -GNA
Ghana’s gold and minerals sector is set for a major spotlight as Meetings. Co, in partnership with key industry stakeholders, announces the Mining & Minerals Convention 2025, scheduled from August 26-27, 2025, at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra.
Held under the theme “Shaping the Future of Ghana’s Gold Industry,”‘ the Convention will convene government leaders, regulators, miners, refiners, investors, sustainability partners, innovators, and responsible mining, and global competitiveness,policy experts to explore strategies that position Ghana’s gold industry for long-term growth.
The two-day convention will feature presidential and ministerial keynote addresses, industry thought leadership, technical paper presentations, policy dialogues, fireside chats, exhibitions, and high-level networking sessions.
Convention delegates can anticipate a dynamic and insightful experience, marked by thought leadership from leading policymakers and regulators, in-depth discussions on key topics such as sustainability, ESG, digital gold, and responsible sourcing, as well as valuable opportunities to forge public-private partnerships and investment deals.
Moreover, the event will offer practical action points aimed at unlocking greater economic value for Ghana.
The 2025 edition will be supported by a strong coalition of strategic partners, including the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the Minerals Commission, GoldBod, the Minerals Income and Investment Fund (MIIF), and the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GHEITI).
The Minister for Finance Hon. Cassiel Ato Forson has disclosed that a sum of nine hundred and Eighty-Seven Million, Nine Hundred and Sixty-Five thousand and Seventy-Three Ghana Cedis (GHS987,965,073.00) from the Consolidated Fund into the District Assembly Common Fund Account, being the first quarter amount due to the DACF.
Furthermore, the Finance Minister informed the House that a total amount of Two Billion, Thirty- Three Million, Four Hundred and Sixty-Nine Thousand, Six Hundred and Seven Ghana Cedis (GHS2,033,469,607) has been disbursed to the National Health Insurance Fund.
While the Ghana Education Trust Fund has also received a total of Two Billion, Seven and Ten Million, Two Hundred and Twenty-Seven Ghana Cedis (GHS2,710,227,947.00) for the months January, February, March and April,2025.
The Finance Minister disclosed this in his statement to Parliament on the payments to statutory funds on the floor of the House.
In addition, he cautioned that the Administrator of the District Assembly Common Fund is required to ensure that 80% of this amount is transferred directly to the Assemblies without fail and expenditure returns submitted to the Ministry of Finance before subsequent releases will be made.
He added that Members are encouraged to monitor the utilization of these amounts sent to their respective Assemblies in line with the approved guidelines by Cabinet.
In his closing remark, Ato Forson said he’s going to take the concerns of the House seriously.
For his part, the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga made known the President’s prioritization of women in the country stating that President Mahama is “Pro-women”.
This is due to the fact that women are going to be the core beneficiaries from the expenditures going to be made by the MMDA’s, he added.
The Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin questioned the Finance Minister why road contractors have not been paid for more than five months. He said the Minister must not be applauded for since the allocation of these funds were long overdue.
