The community members of Akyem Bieni of the Birim South District in the Eastern Region have appealed for the use of portion of COCOBOD land for farming activities.
Consequently, they pleaded to the Government for the change of the land agreement between them and the COCOBOD.
The appeal was made at a news conference addressed by Nana Tiefo Amisare III, a representative of the chief of the town and said the agreement should be amended to allow the people to use part of the 261-acre land given to the COCOBOD in 1954 for crop farming activities.
He said the agreement covered yearly payment of thirty pounds (30Ib), employment for the youth in the area and among other COCOBOD corporate social responsibilities such as cocoa farmers’ scholarship scheme to students at the Senior High School level, cocoa roads project and provision of health centres.
Nana Amisare said all the requirements had not been realised hence the amendment of the agreement to make provision for the people, especially the youth to have access to some portion of the land for farming.
Mr Kwasi Agyapong, who spoke in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on behalf of the youth said the population of the community had increased as compared to the time the land was given out to the COCOBOD which had made farmland scarce.
He pleaded with the Government to allow school leavers in the area to use the land for the cultivation of cocoa and food crops since the land was lying fallow, adding that “we are of the hope that, this will rather bring mutual benefit as the government take the cocoa and we also get food to eat.”