Ghana’s Cocoa Board, COCOBOD, has made a pledge to distribute 113,000 bags of fertiliser for Cocoa through the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED). Approximately 207 farmer cooperative groups in the Assin South District of the Centre Region will receive the fertilisers.
The additional farming input aims to boost Cocoa production in the benefitting regions where farmers use hybrid seeds, ensuring there is ample fertiliser to feed their crops.
The announcement was made by the District Director of CHED, Mr Isaac Sarfo Afram, on his visit to the Assin Nyame-Bekyere cocoa growing community, where he supervised the distribution of around 500 bags of fertiliser.
Along with support from local farmer groups, they were able to prune some of the selected farms so that the fertiliser could be applied, said Mr Afram.
The fertilisers are being distributed through the farmer cooperatives, as there are still concerns over the illegal resale of government-sponsored agrochemicals and fertilisers. Mr Afram encouraged farmers to follow the advice of the extension agents, to ensure that the inputs are received by the rightful beneficiaries. He also warned against smuggling the fertilisers to separate locations for resale, as security agencies have been advised to arrest any farmers and buyers involved in such activities.
To fully benefit from government donations, farmers have been advised to conduct regular maintenance on their farms so that they can achieve maximum yields. They were also encouraged to join a farmer cooperative if they have not already done so, in order to benefit from the COCOBOD programmes.
