$20m oil palm project suspended

Tarkwa(W/R), March 21, GNA - The management of Gold Fields Ghana Limited (GFGL), Tarkwa Mine has suspended a 20 million-dollar oil palm project to be undertaken at Tarkwa.

Dr Toni Aubynn, Community Affairs and Public Relations Manager of the company disclosed this at a Consultative Committee Meeting at Tarkwa.

He said management decided to undertake a project that would be viable and sustainable, although it had undertaken social development programmes and the oil palm project was to be a market driven and commercially viable project.

Dr Aubynn said the chiefs provided 1,000 hectares for the project and management undertook feasibility studies to identify the land, suitability of the soil and properties on it.

Unfortunately, he said, when the people heard about the project on the land, they hurriedly put up buildings, constructed fishponds and made farms that would attract payment of compensation. Dr Aubynn said the cost of properties on the land was estimated at about 19 million dollars, adding "If the value of properties on the land was so much then it was potentially rich and needs no new activity because it would not be viable".

However, he said the project had not been abandoned because management would initiate other viable projects and information available indicated that the soil was good for oil palm, the most suitable crop in the area.