Cocoa farmers commend government

Canaan (C/R), Feb 12, GNA- Cocoa farmers in the Twifo- Heman- Lower-Denkyira (THDL) District on Thursday commended the government for introducing the cocoa Hi-tech and mass cocoa spraying under social investment fund (SIF) programmes.

They said the programme had produced remarkable cocoa yield which has impacted positively in their living conditions and the economy of the district.

The farmers who made the commendation at Canaan a farming community in the district, said before the introduction of the programme farmers were getting as low as two bags of cocoa a year from their farms, but now their yields had increased.

Nana John Kobina Awansi, the district best cocoa farmer, who addressed a press conference on behalf of the 32 communities at Canaan, appealed to the government to continue with the programme, adding that last year about 3,245 farmers were supplied with fertilizer and asked that more should be provided since cocoa farmers who got frustrated in the past were now rushing for the programme.

Nana Kwesi Akyerifi I, chief of Canaan, refuted the allegation that the increase in cocoa production in the country this year was due to cocoa being smuggled from the neighbouring countries.

He said the programme was a laudable one and that it has helped most cocoa farmers to either buy cars or put up houses and has also reduced the number of farmers going for loans from purchasing clerks during the lean season.

Nana Akyerifi however appealed to the government to work on roads in the area to enable them to cart their cocoa and other foodstuffs to marketing centres.