Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at his cocoa farm at Anum Apapam, Nene Ashaley Adjabeng, explained that the programme involved the free supply of agro-chemicals and spraying against capsid and black pod diseases. He cautioned that if farmers received the free consignments and failed to practice pruning, brushing, shade management and removal of all diseased pods, “then ensuring proper and satisfactory farming, would also fail”.

The Chief Farmer asked the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) of COCOBOD to endeavour to work extra hard to help boost cocoa production. According to him, delays in the supply of insecticides at the proper time, was a contributory factor in the decline of Ghana’s cocoa production, adding; “imagine that granular fertilizer was distributed in the dry season, it could have no positive effects on the crop”.

He remarked: “Timely application of inputs supplied to farmers, treatment of diseased farms in the farms, modalities for the distribution of insecticide, fungicides and fuel to farmer groups, good agronomic practices to increase yield”, often have wrong timing.

Nene Ashaley Adjabeng advised farmers to also desist from diverting the allocation of the inputs, especially, the ammonium sulphate, lithovit foliarar (liquid) and granular fertilizers, since such actions derailed the smooth operation of cocoa farming in the country.

He also reminded COCOBOD to ensure that the deplorable nature of roads leading to most cocoa farms were reshaped to help increase cocoa production
from the current metric tonnes.