[ 2012-04-15 ]

Rubber Association realises 259,270 Ghana Cedis net income last year
Apemanim (W/R), April.14, GNA - The Rubber Out
Growers and Agents Association (ROAA), realised a
net income of 259,270 Ghana Cedis in 2011, Mr.
Kwame Awuah Asante, National Chairman of ROAA,
announced on Saturday.

He said the Gross Income for the period was
501,781 Ghana Cedis and the total expenses were
242,511 Ghana Cedis.

Mr Awuah, who was speaking at the 9th Annual
General Meeting of the Association at Apemanim, in
the Ahanta West District, said fidelity bonus
earned by members amounted to 1,076,591 Ghana
Cedis in 2011 as against 564,822 Ghana Cedis in
2010.

She said rubber produced by the association
increased from 3,500 metric tonnes in 2010 to
6,242 metric tonnes in 2011.

Mr. Awuah said membership of the group increased
from 4,012 in 2010 to 5,549 in 2011, and out of
the increased number, 965 engaged in active rubber
production and the remaining had farms at
different levels of development.

Mr. Awuah said 222 hectares of rubber trees
belonging to 113 members of the association were
affected by the corynespora disease this year.

He said affected trees were unable to produce
latex that coagulates into cuplumps, sold by
farmers.

Mr. Awuah said the Ghana Rubber Estate Limited and
the Agriculture Development Bank (ADB) were
collaborating to bring the situation under
control.

He said under the plan, farmers would bear the
cost of felling the affected trees, and prepare
the land for re-planting while the GREL would
provide them with planting materials.

Mr. Awuah said the ROAA would supply fertilizer
during the first three years of planting and the
ADB would write off a proportionate amount of
loans of the affected farmers.

He said last year the association cultivated 20
acres of rubber at Akyim near Tarkwa and 20 acres
of the tree has been cultivated this year.

Mr. Awuah said land has been acquired at Ajumako
in the Central Region for the establishment of a
nursery to cater for members in the region.

Mr. Emmanuel Asante Krobea, Director of Crop
Services of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture,
said Government would continue to support the ROAA
and asked the members to intensify efforts to
increase production.

He said a pilot project was underway in the Upper
West, Upper East, and Northern Region to ascertain
whether rubber could be grown in those areas.

Mr Krobea asked the association to form fire
volunteer squads, to assist members to protect
their farms against fire.

He appealed to the association to lodge part of
the fidelity bonus in its Cooperative Credit Union
as a housing scheme for members.

Source - GNA

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