Mr. Rajiv Pradisan, an Indian Philanthropist, on Thursday presented 200 seedlings of a fast growing teak variety from India to the Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD) Ladies Club and the Diabene Secondary Technical School at Diabene near Takoradi.
The seedlings are to be planted on the 10 hectare teak and acacia plantation at the school established by the Ladies Club in collaboration with the Agriculture and Forestry Departments of the school.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr. Pradisan said the new teak variety takes about eight years to mature unlike the Ghanaian teak variety which takes about 20 years to mature.
He said he intended to make similar presentation to at least two schools in every region in the country as well as to individuals and organizations to grow.
A baby teak tree
Mr. Pradisan said the new teak could sell higher than the Ghanaian teak on international market.
He said two personnel of the Forestry Commission (FC) would be going to India for training on the new teak variety.
Dr. Ben Donkor, Executive Director of the TIDD, said the Forestry Commission (FC) as the implementing agency of the climate change policy was encouraging schools to grow trees.
He said the Ladies Club was collaborating with the Diabene Secondary Technical School on the plantation project to educate the students about the benefits of growing trees.
Dr. Donkor said the FC was also using programmes such as the plantation project to educate children and the society about climate change which was the most threatening environmental situation and the need for strategies to mitigate climate change effects.
Mr. Sylvanus Aidoo, a teacher in-charge of forestry at the school, said the plantation which was established in 2009, recently won the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) Farmers Day award.
Source: GNA
