The Minerals Commission under its Sustainable Livelihood Projects (SLPs) is to distribute 200,000 oil palm seedlings to farmers in the Birim Central Municipality to help curb illegal mining.

The SLPs is being undertaken in mining communities and oil palm plantation is recommended as the immediate most sustainable project for such communities to ensure that, they do not become ghost towns after cessation of mining.

Mr Isaac Mann, the Birm Central Municipal Director of Agriculture briefing the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said through the effort of Ms Victoria Adu, the Birim Central Municipal Chief Executive, the Municipality was among the community to benefit from the SLPs.
He said out of the 200,000 free oil palm seedlings, the Assembly had received 60,000.

Mr Mann said 724 registered farmers in communities like Essam, Larbikrom, Gyadem, Yeboahkrom, ODASCO and Oda Nkwanta have received their seedlings.
The criteria for selecting the farmer beneficiaries was based on clearing of farmland of about four acres, pegging of the land and working with the Agriculture Extension Agents.

Speaking to farmers during the presentation of the seedlings, Mr Mann advised them to take good care of the seedlings and expressed the hope that, the Municipality would be among the raw material base for agriculture industrialisation in future.

Ms Adu, the Birim Central Municipal Chief Executive expressed gratitude to the Minerals Commission for making the Assembly a beneficiary of the project.
She advised farmers in the area to form active groups to enable them get grant from the Ghana Government to purchase farm machines to make their farming activities less stressful.

Mr Charles Agyei, a farmer at Akim Oda who owns about 20 acres of farmland, said they will do their best to engage themselves in the palm plantation, so that the Municipality can be a raw material base for agriculture industrialisation.