Green Ghana Day: Over 22 Million Seedlings Distributed

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has disclosed the target for the 2022 edition of Green Ghana Day, was exceeded by more than two million seedlings.

The target for this year was to plant twenty million seedlings however, Deputy Minister responsible for Lands and Forestry and Chairman of the National Planning Committees for the 2022 Green Ghana Day, Hon Benito Owusu Bio, said 22,671,696 seedings have been distributed as of June 13, 2022.

He noted that orders for seedlings were still trooping in.

According to him, participation in the national exercise was overwhelming.

Benito Owusu Bio is hopeful that the survival rate of the seedlings will exceed the 80% rate that was recorded for the previous year’s exercise.

“We expect high survival rates this year, more than the 80% survival rate last year. The ministry has put in place a monitoring and assessment team under the chairmanship of Hon Francis Manu Adabo who is on the Parliamentary Select Committee to undertake a comprehensive field assessment of trees planted this year. Other members of the committee include myself, the CEO and his deputies”, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources said.

He also called on the general public to make a conscious effort in keeping the planted seedlings alive.

“Having observed the Green Ghana Day on June 10, what is paramount now is to ensure that we maintain what has been planted. We need to make a conscious effort to nurture the trees by watering them, protect them from destruction, prevent fires, and weed under them until they grow to maturity.”

The Chief Executive Officer for the Forestry Commission, John Allotey said provisional results have it that the target of 50% seedlings in forest reserves across the country was not reached however, the target for non-forest reserves was exceeded.

“The target was to plant 50% in the forest reserve and the remaining 50% in homes, open spaces and by river bodies. 40.2% were planted in forest reserves with 59.8% outside the forest reserve”.

He said Ahafo, Ashanti, Bono, Bono East, Eastern, and Greater Accra regions exceeded their target, while North East, Northern and Oti regions are yet to meet their target.

John Allotey noted that 55 different species of trees were distributed in all.

Source: opemsuo.com/hajara Fuseini