Assembly moves to raise cocoa production

The Asante Akim-South Municipal Assembly has launched a project to nurse one million improved cocoa seedlings annually for distribution to farmers in the municipality.

Mr. Alexander Frimpong, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), said two nurseries would be established at the Tokwai-Odumase and Payase communities for the purpose.

He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the goal was to become one of the leading cocoa growing areas in the country.

Asante-Akim South was raked the second highest cocoa producing district in the Ashanti Region, last year, and the MCE said they had their sights on climbing to top.

He added that 80 percent of the high-yielding cocoa seedling would be supplied to young people into cocoa farming.

This, alongside other incentive packages he did not give details about, could significantly motivate many unemployed youth in the municipality to go into agriculture.

He said that was the way forward to get the energetic youth to replace the ageing farmers, adding that, farming was a rewarding business.

Mr. Frimpong spoke of the assembly eagerness to create employment opportunities for the people to help make their lives meaningful to the society.

In line with this, it was investing in skills training, to aid, particularly out-of-school young people to acquire trades and vocations to become economically self-supporting.