The Ghana Rubber Estates Limited, GREL, says some small scale miners are taking over its concession near Adeiwoso on the Apimenim-Elubo Highway.
With support from the One District One Factory Secretary, the company in 2018 expanded its production with the hope of hitting 25,000 tons per annum.
The natural rubber company in a statement said if the current occupation of its concession by galamseyers does not stop, its production will be heavily affected.
According to the company, some 9,500 direct and indirect jobs will also be adversely affected if the situation persists.
“The forcible takeover of GREL lands by several communities for galamsey activities is an act of illegality that has to be condemned and the instigators or perpetrators brought to book. This illegal invasion of GREL lands will certainly affect directly the raw material base needed for the two factories and also defeat the purpose of the support GREL had from the One District One Factory Initiative for the construction of the 1st Phase of its new rubber processing factory. It also puts at risk Ghana Rubber Estates Limited since the availability of land is very key to its existence, hence, without the availability of land for its nucleus plantation GREL will not be able to operate,” the company said in a statement.
“The activity if not stopped could affect an estimated area of 350 acre part of GREL Estate Division 3 located near Adeiwoso on the Apimenim-Elubo Highway. The area was planted with rubber in the 1960’s and GREL recultivated it with rubber again in 2010. The investment done by GREL from 2010 to date is about £550,000 which could be lost if they are not stopped. GREL could also lose 3.5 million of revenue over the next 30 years if that area is destroyed.”
Though GREL mainly operates in the Western Region, the statement clarified that it has rights to concessions in the Central and Eastern Regions.
Below are excerpts of GREL’s statement:
We want to draw the public’s attention to the “illegal occupation” of GREL lands for Galamsey activities in the Western Region. We want to set the record straight for the benefit of the public and interested parties. GREL is a natural rubber producer and has a concession size of 21,747 hectares (ha) of which 16,017ha is State Land and the remaining portion of 5,730ha being Stool/Family Lands. The distribution of the concession per Region is as follows:
- Western Region = 19,849ha (State Land- 16,017ha & Stool/Family Land – 4,123ha)
- Central Region = 809ha (Stool/Family Lands)
- Eastern Region = 800ha (Stool Lands)
The 16,017ha of State Land is part of the 36,000ha (90,000 acres) of land acquired by the government through Executive Instruments 43, 44, 45, 46 and 58 of 1968.
As a result of agitations by some communities in GREL’s operational areas, a committee of enquiry was set up by the Government of the Republic of Ghana in June 1993 to investigate these land disputes.
A common strand that underlined the reasons for the setting up of the committee was the expansion of the communities in GREL’s operational area.
The “Report of the Committee of Enquiry Into Ghana Rubber Estates Limited Land Dispute” issued in October 1993 recommended for GREL to cede several hectares of land to the communities and also to suspend some planned expansion programmes.
The Government of the Republic of Ghana in 1997 granted GREL a lease of 15,000ha of land for 50 years for its operation as a result of the recommendations of the committee.
In 2013, additional land of 1,017ha was granted to GREL by the Government of the Republic of Ghana bringing the total State Land leased to 16,017ha for use by GREL.
About 20,000ha out of the 36,000ha of State Lands acquired by E.I 43, 44, 45, 46 and 58 in 1968 has been taken over by the various communities.
GREL has cultivated rubber on these State Lands with rubber as part of its nucleus plantation which is producing about 19,200 tons of dry rubber per annum and is expected to increase to 30,000 tons of dry rubber by 2025.
Since 1995, the company in partnership with the Government of Ghana, Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), through Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and National Investment Bank (NIB) contributed to the investment of € 59,100,000.00 to help about 8,012 individuals to develop 30,155ha of rubber plantation under the Rubber Outgrower Plantation Project (ROPP).
In addition to the outgrower project, GREL has also assisted 1,500 Self-Financed Outgrowers to develop about 14,845 ha of rubber plantation.
The estimated annual production from the outgrower plantation is 49,000 tons of dry rubber for 2020 and it is expected to increase to 100,000 tons of dry rubber by 2025. Ghana Rubber Estates Limited till November 2019 operated a 10-ton per hour rubber processing factory called GREL-APM located at Apimenim in the Ahanta West District of the Western Region with an annual production of 50,000 tons.
GREL APM having achieved its maximum processing capacity of 50,000 tons per annum and in fulfilment of GREL’s obligation under the Rubber Outgrower Plantation Project (ROPP) agreement to buy all the raw materials to ensure the sustainability of the project, the company in 2018 commenced the construction of a new rubber processing factory in Abura with a projected final capacity of 20T/hr by 2028 at an estimated cost of € 62,000,000.00.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Industry under the One District One Factory Programme, the first phase of this project was the construction of 5T/hr rubber processing factory called GREL TBU at a cost of € 25,000,000.00 which started in September 2018 was completed in November 2019.
The factory is estimated to produce 25,000 tons in 2020 increasing gradually to its peak of 80,000 tons in 2030.
This will increase the total production of GREL from 70,000 ton per annum in 2020 to 120,000 tons per annum in 2030.
GREL explains further
GREL in its statement added that if the unlawful invasion of concession continues, it is going to have a direct impact on the numerous social investment schemes for its localities.
“The total direct employment by GREL from its Nucleus and Factory Operations is 4,500 as at the end of 2019 in addition to 3,500 indirect employment through the out-grower project (out of the 9,500 external farmers).”
Nationally, GREL is one of the major economical actors in the Western Region, providing livelihood support to more than 70,000 people.
“As a responsible corporate entity, GREL does not renege on the payment of its statutory obligations such as taxes and dividends to the Government of Ghana (which owns 25% shares in GREL), its Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as undertaking various Corporate Social Responsibility Projects within its operational areas.”
GREL has spent over three million euros in the last 10 years on Corporate Social Responsibility projects and initiatives which are dotted across the length and breadth of its operational areas.
“On scholarships offered by GREL to brilliant but needy students in our operational areas, GREL in the last 10 years has offered 237 fully paid scholarships to brilliant but needy students in the secondary and tertiary education level.”
“As a responsible company which is committed to food security, GREL has also in collaboration with Crop Research Institute, trained our outgrower farmers on how to grow and maintain food crops on their rubber farms. This proud initiative of ours has received lots of commendations from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and other international organisations.”
Citi News checks at the said GREL Estate Division 3 concession located near Adeiwoso on the Apimenim-Elubo Highway saw well-protected hundreds of youth who are said to be operating a Community Mining but at the blind side of the Minerals Commission.
The post W/R: GREL laments take over of its lands by galamseyers appeared first on Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana.
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