The Institute of Adult Education, University of Ghana at Tsito-Awudome has embarked on a project to promote the commercial cultivation of oil palm in the Volta region.
Under the project, the College would support interested farmers with palm seedlings and technical know how to cultivate the crop on a large scale.
Addressing 26 selected farmers from the Awudome Traditional Area, Mr Mathew Atinyo, Resident Tutor of the College said the initiative was to help reduce poverty among farmers in the region.
Mr Atinyo noted that unlike other regions, the Volta Region has no cash crop and expressed the hope that the successful implementation of the project would enhance the socio-economic status of the people in the region.
He said oil palm has several commercial advantages over the traditional crops being cultivated in the region.
Mr Atinyo said the College has experimented on the palm tree and was sure on its immense economic values.
He said similar experiments were being conducted on mango, orange and mushroom to test their marketability.
Mr Atinyo said the College had engaged the services of agricultural extension officers for the project and called on farmers in the region to take advantage of the opportunity to enhance their livelihood.