Cocoa farmers have been urged to take farm pruning seriously in order to maximize crop yield and increase bean production.
Mr Ebenezer Agyin, COCOBOD’s Ashanti Regional Manager, Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED), who made the call, stated that pruning was an effective farm hygiene exercise that prevented diseases and pests and could reduce crop loss by up to 40%.
Addressing the Susu Biribi Women in Cocoa Association in Kwamang, Afigya Kwabre North District, Ashanti Region, he stated that the COCOBOD was ready to provide farmers with the necessary technical expertise to increase crop yields in the 2023 season.
According to Mr Agyin, the COCOBOD was providing farmers with fuel to run motorized sprayers in order to improve the effectiveness of spraying against insects and other cocoa diseases.
He stated that the COCOBOD would engage affected farmers directly rather than relying on rehabilitation assistants for on-farm rehabilitation under the cocoa swollen shoot virus disease.
He explained that due to the absenteeism of some of the rehabilitation assistants, most of the farms had become overgrown with bushes.
It was therefore critical that COCOBOD directly engage the farmers, entrust all farm maintenance activities and channel payments due to them for the exercise.
Women play a significant part in the production of cocoa, according to Madam Christiana Amponsah, Ashanti Regional Coordinator for Gender, CHED, and because of this, the COCOBOD felt it was important to recognize these women during National Chocolate Week.
She said that women generated around 30% of the nation’s cocoa. Yet, the significant role that women played in the production of cocoa was sometimes overlooked.
For a sustained rise in production, according to Madam Amponsah, it is critical to include women along the cocoa value chain.