COCOBOD to distribute 2.3 million hybrid cocoa seedlings to farmers

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) is to distribute 2.3 million hybrid cocoa seedlings to farmers in the Assin Fosu Area to increase yield.

Mr. Isaac Sarfo Afram, the Assin Fosu District Cocoa Officer of the Cocoa Health and Extention Division (CHED), who announced this, said the move was to boost cocoa production in the country at large.

He noted that pollinators had been trained to support farmers at a cost between the farmers and the pollinators while trained Cocoa Extension Officers were to assist the farmers to increase productivity to enhance their livelihoods.

Mr. Afram noted that COCOBOD would continue their educational programmes in the communities to enable farmers to get access to technological information.

He said the country was practicing an integrated farming system, where cocoa was mixed with other crops, and advised cocoa farmers to continue practicing the organic farming system to keep the integrity of the country’s cocoa in the international market.

He entreated cocoa producers to continue adhering to the campaign against climate change by promoting a zero deforestation programme.

”The programme is aimed at preserving vegetation and environment and ensuring the sustainability of the cocoa value chain,” he said.

He also encouraged farmers to adopt hybrid cocoa seedlings in their farms and the youth to go into cocoa farming and take advantage of COCOBOD intervention of free distribution of early maturing and high yielding cocoa seedlings, free distribution of agrochemicals, fertilizers, pruning machines along other inputs.

Source: GNA