THE implementation of the National Forest Plantation Development programme, which the President launched early this year, is progressing steadily in the Northern Region.
More than 4,300 young people employed under the programme are on the field engaged in various plantation activities, including seedling production, survey and demarcation, site preparation, peg cutting, weeding and planting.
They are undertaking the activities under the supervision of technical officers from the Forestry Services Department.
The Northern Regional Director of the Forestry Services Division, Mr Ebenezer Djaney Djagbletey, told the Daily Graphic in Tamale that a total of 4,352 hectares of land had already been demarcated for the programme.
“Whilst 850 hectares are located in forest reserves, the remaining hectares are in areas considered off-reserve, mainly farmlands,” he stated.
The regional director said 3900 hectares out of the total area demarcated had been cleared whilst planting had taken place on some of the lands.
He said those lands were located in 151 communities selected from the 20 districts in the region.
Mr Djagbletey, however, stated that the Forestry Commission was facing some challenges in the implementation of the programme.
“Our staff strength is not enough to handle such a major exercise. We need more range supervisors and forest guards,” he stated.
Mr Djagbletey added that the lack of logistics, particularly, vehicles and motorbikes was hindering the smooth implementation of the programme.
“We also encounter delays in the supply of equipment for field operations, such as hoes, cutlasses, Wellington boots, hoses, raincoats and water cans,” he stated.
The regional director said aside those challenges, the programme encountered some difficulties in the acquisition of suitable lands for the plantations, especially, in areas such as Sambu and Gbungbalga in the Yendi Municipality and Zakayili in the Tamale Metropolis.
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