Government urged to form task force

to monitor Mass Cocoa Spraying exercise

Nkawkaw, Oct. 7, GNA - Mr Evans Abankwa, a 70-year-old cocoa farmer at Kadewaso in the Atiwa District, has appealed to the Government to set up a task force to monitor the various groups undertaking the mass cocoa spraying exercise. This, he explained, would avoid the diversion of chemicals and other insecticides earmarked for the exercise. Mr Abankwa alleged that the exercise was being abused by members of some of the groups in cocoa producing areas who diverted and smuggled the chemicals and other insecticides to neighbouring countries for sale.

He made the call in an interview with the GNA at Nkawkaw on Thursday. He further alleged that the spraying gangs more often than not sprayed farms of their relatives and friends to the neglect of other farmers in their operational areas. Mr Abankwa suggested the establishment of cocoa depots in the districts where chemicals, insecticides and spraying machines would be sold to farmers at subsidize prizes to spray their cocoa farms to supplement the mass cocoa spraying exercise. He said as at now, his 20-acre cocoa farm had not been sprayed whiles other cocoa farmers had had theirs sprayed twice. He said he had to secure a loan to purchase a spraying machine, chemical, insecticides and other accessories at the cost of GHc700 to spray his cocoa farm. Mr Abankwa also called for the setting up of a task force to check cocoa purchasing clerks who had adjusted their weighing scales to cheat cocoa farmers