Youth to be attracted into cocoa production

Nana Kwabena Danso, the Kyidomhene of Anum Apapam in the Ayensuano District, has called on cocoa farmer to make the youth acknowledge the benefits of the cash crop, to attract them into farming.

He urged the aged farmers to engage the youth to enable them to take over from them in future.

Nana Danso, made the call at a farmer’s rally at Anum Apapam in the Eastern Region.

Mr Michael Gyasi, the Suhum District Officer of Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease Control Unit of COCOBOD called on the farmers to attach importance to best agricultural practices, that would help them reduce the incident of black pod disease and to enable them to harvest the expected yields.

He urged the farmers to seek the assistance of the extension health officers to make them do the right application of chemicals on their farms.

Mr Gyasi warned farmers who indulge in diverting fertilizers and other input to desist, saying the law would deal ruthlessly with those miscreants.

Mr Randy Boitey, the Deputy Regional Manager of the Cocoa Extension Health Services Unit of COCOBOD, said his outfit is taking farmers through vigorous training that would make them acquire new and innovative ways and skills that would ensure best and modern agricultural techniques.

He said some of these trainings would enable the farmers to learn how to do right application of fertilizers and chemicals on their farms that would ensure maximise yields.

He said officers at this outfit have been provided with the needed logistics that would help facilitate and make them carry out their duties.

Mr Boitey said the inability for most farmers to produce one tonne from a hectare of a cocoa farm, was due to misapplication and poor maintenance of their farms.

He said extensive education is ongoing to improve on the situation to increase the nation’s production.

Source: GNA