Cocoa farmers receive free fertilizers

A number of cocoa farmers on Wednesday assembled at the premises of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) at Dormaa-Ahenkro to receive bags of fertilizer being distributed free by government.

Mr. David Afriyie-Gyebi, the Dormaa Cocoa District Officer of CHED, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA), through a telephone interview from Dormaa-Ahenkro, in the Brong-Ahafo Region that, 25, 960 bags of cocoa fertilizer had been distributed to qualified cocoa farmers at Dormaa-Ahenkro.

He added that 10,000 bags of Elite organic fertilizer had also been distributed to farmers in the Dormaa East District and the Dormaa Central Municipality.

Mr. Afriyie-Gyebi said the Dormaa District of CHED had also received 1000 cartons of liquid fertilizer for further distribution to some selected qualified cocoa farmers in the Dormaa Central Municipality, Dormaa East and Berekum West Districts, as well as 300 cartons for distribution to farmers at Jaman South and Jaman North Districts.

He indicated that an extra consignment of 70,000 bags of fertilizer was expected to be delivered for distribution to qualified farmers in the Dormaa Central and Berekum Municipalities, Jaman North, Jaman South and Dormaa East Districts.

Mr. Afriyie-Gyebi said the government’s free fertilizer distribution programme had been given a boost this year because of measures put in place by the COCOBOD Management to prevent the shortfall experienced in the distribution patterns of the commodity last year.

He said the fertilizer was distributed irrespective of beneficiaries’ political, religious or tribal affiliation and warned those engaged in the illegal selling of it to desist from such unpatriotic acts because they would be prosecuted when arrested.