Members of Plantation Developers and Seedlings Contractors Association are threatening legal action against government if they are not paid arrears owed them for providing seedlings in 2021 and 2022 during the national tree planting exercise. They are thus calling on government to pay them before starting this year’s Green Ghana Day exercise or risk facing them in court. The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has confirmed that it owes the seedling Contractors an amount of GH¢28 million but has not been able to give firm assurances on when the amount would be paid.
A 14-month-old native mahogany planted in the Achimota Forest Reserve near Accra as part of Green Ghana Day 2021 (Image: Zubaida Mabuno Ismail)
Following the launch of the 2023 Green Ghana Project, the seedling Contractors have renewed calls for government to pay them their arrears. Speaking to Citi News, the secretary of the Ashanti Region Plantation Developers and Seedling Contractors Association, Gloria Amponsah disclosed that they have been sidelined as far as this year’s Green Ghana Day exercise is concerned. “The last time we complained about our monies, the minister assured us that they were putting things in place to pay us. As I talk to you now, we haven’t heard from him. The ministry has not called us, we have not been called. We just heard that they are launching the Green Ghana project with an amount of GH¢2.5 million, when that is sealed, then they are not going to pay us our money. We need our money, if they are able to amass this amount for the project, why are they not paying us? We are pleading with them to give us our money. “We just realised that they are not involving farmers in the new project, that is not our problem. They should pay us. We will be forced to take legal action if they don’t pay us,” she warned. The seedling contractors were tasked to supply seedlings for the tree planting exercise during the Green Ghana Day celebrations for 2021 and 2022.