The Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD ) organised a mini cocoa rally to enlighten coco farmers at Akyem – Asuom in the Kwaebibirem municipality of the Eastern region.
Mr. Kingsford Kakutey, the Deputy Regional Manager of COCOBOD appreciated cocoa farmers in the district for adhering to the extension education of CHED which in turn leads them to produce high quality cocoa beans.
He analysed various cocoa interventions organised by COCOBOD and the Government of Ghana for cocoa farmers such as the cocoa rehabilitation programme, introduction of best pruning tools and brush cutters for weeding to avoid the use of harmful herbicides, and artificial pollination to improve yield.
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Mr. Kingsford Kakutey, also called on the youth in the district to take advantage of the “Youth in Cocoa initiative” of COCOBOD to become cocoa farmers to complement the effort of the ageing cocoa farmers.
The Cocoa Officer for the district, Mr. Solomon Koomson congratulated all cocoa farmers present and commended them for their efforts so far; he also used the opportunity to encourage them to count on CHED for extension support.
Mr. Ofori Mensah, the District Quality Control Manager, cautioned cocoa farmers against practices like the use of fertilizer sacks and mosquito nets for cocoa beans fermentation because these practices can contaminate and affect the production of quality cocoa beans.
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Meanwhile in Nigeria, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has indicated that it would support the cocoa value chain to increase the production of quality cocoa.
In response to that, the National President of Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN), Adeola Adegoke posited that the training of cocoa farmers on the best way to produce quality cocoa for the market is ongoing across the cocoa-producing states on the best way to produce quality cocoa for the market.
