The Western North Regional Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has held a rally for farmers at Sefwi Bekwai in the Bibiani Ahwianso Bekwai Municipality of the Western North Region, with a call by the Regional Manager of Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED), Mr. Isaac Adu for farmers to embrace government’s new policy direction for the cocoa sector.
Mr. Isaac Adu, in an address at Sefwi Bekwai implored farmers to firmly accept the programme which seeks to rid the cocoa sector of unproductive cocoa trees , pollination, pruning and mass spraying exercise to boost production.
He hinted that farmers would be paid compensation for cutting down their moribund and diseased cocoa trees.
Apart from being supplied with free hybrid seedlings for replanting, plantain suckers and economic shade trees would be provided to farmers as part of the forest investment programme.
He also entreated farmers to stop leasing their land for galamsey activities and also stop smuggling the cocoa to other countries.
Mr. Frank Osei Kofi, the Western North regional extension officer, on his part stressed that the theme for this year’s rally was “Productivity Enhancement Programmes(PEPs),The Role of The Cocoa Farmer”.
The farmers should embrace the exercise on cocoa pollination, pruning, rehabilitation, mass spraying because it is not only for Cocobod but for all farmers.
He educated participants on the dangers of capsid and swollen shoot disease on production.
He said unlike some years back when farmers were advised to cut overage and swollen shoot affected cocoa farms themselves, COCOBOD had now mandated its Cocoa Health and Extension Division to provide those services free of charge, and the managed farms have started yielding positive results.
The 2022 National Best Cocoa Farmer, Mr. Bismark Fuakye, who graced the occasion used the medium to appealed to all teeming youth to venture into farming since agricultural is the backbone of the country and suggest to stopping galamsey mining activities destroying our forest reserves and water bodies.
The farmers on the other praised Cocobod and government but also shared their concerns on the formation of weighing scale, loans to provide to cocoa farmers and appeal to government to increase the producer price of cocoa.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Kwame Komtor Boateng
