Herbal practitioners urged to plant medicinal shrubbery

Sunyani, Oct. 30, GNA - Traditional Healers have been urged to plant and propagate medicinal shrubbery to help curtail the apparent increased rate of the country's biological diversity. Mr. George Owusu Afriyie, National Director of Department of Parks and Gardens (DPG) who said this was addressing about 60 traditional healers at a day's workshop organized by DPG with the support from Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLG/RD) in the Sunyani municipality on Friday.

He stated that the Government recognises the herbal industry and stressed the need for traditional healers to develop interest in planting medicinal plants to sustain the sector. Mr Owusu-Afriyie, however, cautioned that the country's forest cover was on the verge of crumpling.

He took the participants through the history of some medicinal plants, the right method of its plantation, storage and harvesting. Mr. John Kweku Appiah, Brong-Ahafo Regional Development Officer of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in-charge of crops, implored the participants to utilize the knowledge acquired to help bring about positive change in their various medicinal institutions.