COCOBOD to create databank for farmers


The Ghana COCOBOD is to create a databank to gather information of all the cocoa farmers in the country. 

Experts are going to be contracted to execute that job which will help COCOBOD to come out with pension scheme for farmers, as shelved in the cupboard for many years. 

The Acting Executive Director of the Cocoa Health Extension Division (CHED), Dr. Francis Baah, announced this at the first plenary session of the Ghana Cocoa Platform in Koforidua. 

It was attended by about 100 cocoa farmers from the eleven cocoa districts in the region including Asamankese, Kade, Suhum, Boadua, Osino, Akim Swedru and Nkawkaw. 

He said 700 thousand of Lithovit have been purchased to be given to the farmers to help increase their yield in cocoa. 

Dr. Baah advised them to seek advice from the Agricultural experts instead of relying on the quack mobile chemists to sell fake fungicides to them to destroy their crops. 

He said while efforts are being made to increase the quantity of cocoa exported from hundreds to millions, plans are also underway to cater for the welfare of the farmers including a pension scheme. 

The Eastern Regional Manager of CHED, Samuel Gyimah Gyamfi, announced that all the districts have received their logistics for the cocoa spraying exercise which will begin this week by the gangs. 

He advised the farmers to be very vigilante on them to ensure that the quantity supplied is used judicious in their farms to avoid any diversion. 

The Eastern Regional Minister, said series of meetings are being held with the security personnel and mining companies to help address the problem of galamsey which is destroying the environment. 

He said the extent at which the illegal miners use cyanide and mercury in their operations to pollute the water bodies serve as a threat to the majority poor which needs to be halted.
 
GBC