Cocoa farmers urged to adhere to advice on fertilizer use

Mrs Georgina Nkrumah Aboah, Asikuma-Odoben Brakwa District Chief Executive (DCE), has appealed to cocoa farmers to adhere to advice by cocoa extension officers on fertilizer use to enable them to get the maximum yield from their cocoa cultivation.

Mrs Aboah made the appeal at a cocoa farmers rally organized by the Quality Control Division of Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) in conjunction with the Office of the Central Regional Cocoa Chief Farmers at Breman Asikuma.

She urged farmers who had benefited from fertilizer supplies to ensure prompt payment to allow other farmers to also enjoy the facility.

Mrs Aboah said the extension of electricity to the rural areas and the reshaping of feeder roads showed the assembly’s commitment to better the lot of the people, majority of who were cocoa farmers.

The DCE expressed regret that some cocoa purchasing companies were violating the rules and regulations that controlled activities of the industry.

She said: “Some of them go to the extent to buy wet cocoa beans, which is against the rules and regulations, and this has resulted in the high increase of stealing of cocoa beans in most cocoa growing areas.”

Mrs Aboah therefore appealed to COCOBOD to put in place mechanisms to address the unwarranted acts of those buying companies.

She said the District Assembly was ready to partner the COCOBOD to ensure that companies indulging in such acts were dealt with to save the cocoa industry from collapsing.

The DCE also urged farmers who used children as farm labourers, which is a form of “child labour” to stop the practice, as that could result in the boycotting of the country’s cocoa beans on the international market.

Mrs Aboah commended the farmers for their contributions towards the gross domestic product in particular and the development of the country in general.

Source: GNA