Mass Cocoa Spraying Launched in Akwapim North District

The Akwapim North District Director of Agriculture, Mr Amarkai Amartefio on Monday rejected assertions that the on-going mass cocoa spraying exercise was a wasteful venture.

He explained that, not only would the programme achieve its intended objective of destroying insects that attack cocoa pods but would also reverse the decline in cocoa production in the country.

He, therefore, asked cocoa farmers to allow their farms to be sprayed since the exercise was "perfectly in order". It would not be harmful to the cocoa trees nor the workers engaged in the job as alleged in certain quarters.

Mr Amartefio was responding to a question at the Akwapim North District launch of the exercise at Tinkong, in the Eastern Region.

The questioner was concerned about the appropriateness of the exercise against the backdrop of public outcry especially on the radio stations to the effect that the programme was a wasteful venture that could be a drain on the economy. It is further alleged that the chemicals being used could also affect the cocoa trees and the people engaged in the project.

Mr Amartefio said ideally, the exercise should have commenced in August when the first shoots of cocoa pods, which are the host of the insects, started spouting.

However, he said, because the insects kept on reproducing throughout the raining season, there was nothing wrong with spraying them now.

He said failure to do so would rather result in low cocoa yield, which would not be in the nation's interest since cocoa was one of the lifelines of the national economy.

On concerns raised about the effect of 'Confidor', (the chemical) on the sprayers, the Director said they have been taken through adequate training and provided with safety equipment such as Wellington boots, goggles and gloves to forestall injuries.

The Oyoko District Cocoa Officer, Mr Peter Baddoe said the aim of the exercise was to destroy the capsid and green shield bugs adding that this could be achieved when done now.

He said uncontrolled pest invasion could sometimes lead to zero yield and that when implemented, the objectives of the exercise would have been achieved as well as afford the farmers a "reserve labour" to enable them to harvest their produce.

The District Chief Executive, Dr Eugenia Quist, who performed the launching, asked the workers not to charge the farmers for their services.

She noted that apart from increasing cocoa production, the exercise offered jobs to the unemployed youth and that diligence should be taken so that none of the items provided was diverted for personal use.

About 2,024 hectares of cocoa farms, would be sprayed at 30 day intervals in the District, which is home to the Tetteh Quarshie Cocoa Plantation.