Cocobod to support farmers fight soil acidity

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and Beft Agro Consult Limited, distributor of fertilisers in Ghana, have renewed their partnership to provide Cocoa Farmers with Omya Calciprill to tackle soil acidity.

To help promote the message of soil acidity and the importance of Calciprill, Beft Afro Ltd will be aided by Demeter Ghana Ltd, a specialist agricultural company.

Speaking at a training seminar for the Seed Production Division (SPD) of Cocobod at Bonsu Cocoa College, about the importance of Calciprill and the effects of Acidic soils on Cocoa, the Deputy Executive Director of SPD, Madam Faustine Asamany, expressed the hope that the training would increase understanding about the problems of soil acidity, and the effects it had on Cocoa yields.

Mrs. Asamany added that “We are looking forward to working with Beft Agro Consult Limited and Demeter Ghana Ltd to educate our team about soil acidity and the importance of Calciprill”.

The Deputy Director said the problems of acidity in the soils of Ghana is a well-known challenge for a long time now, and “we are proud to be tackling the problem face on”.

Studies had shown that soil acidity was one of the major constraint on cocoa cultivation and further limited the levels of key nutrients such as Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorus. This led to low Cocoa yields thereby affecting farmers.

Omya Calciprill is a high-quality soil conditioner from Germany that is used to rid soils of any acidity and allows for yields to increase, as well as drive up crop quality.

Mr. Mohammed Issifu, Chief Agronomist at Beft Agro Consult Limited, on his part stated that “We are delighted to have been given this opportunity to host a seminar for the Seed Production Division. We look forward to promoting the importance of Calciprill”.

Mr Frank Boateng, Co-founder of Beft Agro Limited, said Ghana had long had an issue with soil acidity, which had severely hampered Cocoa farmers’ yields.

“We are very proud to have been invited by COCOBOD to host this seminar on Calciprill to SPD. We know what a positive impact the product will have on their lives,” Mr. Boateng said.

Demeter Ghana Ltd’s Chief Executive Rocco Falconer stated, “This is a great opportunity to educate Cocoa professionals about the issues of soil acidity”.

Studies conducted by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) over a two year testing period and subsequent distribution have proven that Omya Calciprill can boost yields by 70 per cent.

Beft Agro Limited is an importer and distributor of fertilizers. Beft Agro Limited has worked closely with Ministry of Food and Agriculture and COCOBOD for many years.