MCE Denies Helicopter Chemical Spraying in Jomoro
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Jomoro, Benedict Boadi, has rejected claims that a helicopter operation in parts of the municipality involved the spraying of chemicals that triggered recent bush fires.
He clarified that the helicopter activity was part of a land survey exercise undertaken by a government delegation led by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, and the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Madam Dzifa Abla Gomashie.
According to Mr Boadi, the survey was conducted to assess soil suitability for a proposed large-scale oil palm plantation, following a contractual agreement between the Government of Ghana and Malaysia.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, the MCE explained that the government requires a vast stretch of land for the project, drawing on Malaysia’s successful use of oil palm cultivation to drive economic growth. He said the helicopter was deployed to survey areas across Nzema to determine the most suitable sites for the plantation.
He further explained that the exercise involved ground teams pitching pegs and marking red cross symbols to guide the aerial survey. The helicopter then flew over the marked areas to capture coordinates and identify land most suitable for oil palm cultivation.
Mr Boadi stressed that at no point did the helicopter spray any substances in Jomoro and urged residents to disregard and refrain from spreading what he described as unfounded speculation and false allegations.
GNA
