FARMERS BARRED FROM PLANTING UNAPPROVED COCOA SEEDS TO PROTECT QUALITY – DR. OPOKU

By Dominic Duut – Kwahu Amanfrom

The Head of Research at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), Dr. Stephen Opoku, has cautioned cocoa farmers against planting unapproved cocoa seeds, saying the practice threatens the sustainability and premium quality of Ghana’s cocoa.

According to him, Ghana’s cocoa beans are rated among the best in the world due to proper post-harvest practices, including six days of fermentation and sun-drying.

Dr. Opoku made the call while addressing the Annual General Meeting of the Awenade Area Cocoa Farmers Co-operative and Marketing Society Limited (AWENCOFA) at Kwahu Amanfrom in the Kwahu West Municipality of the Eastern Region. The meeting was also used to elect new executives for the Society.

He explained that Ghana’s cocoa variety is unique and of high quality, which is why farmers are not allowed to plant just any seed but must rely on approved seedlings nursed and distributed through certified sources.

“The variety of Ghana’s cocoa is very good, that is why no farmer is allowed to plant any cocoa beans apart from the ones nursed and treated. Always depend on the nursery ones to maintain our quality,” Dr. Opoku stressed.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of AWENCOFA, Mr. Samuel Ashia, entreated farmers to resort to the use of organic fertilizers instead of chemical fertilizers, noting that organic fertilizers provide the requisite nutrients and energy for cocoa plants.

He also called on the youth to venture into cocoa farming, lamenting that the majority of current farmers are aged men and women who will soon exit active production.

On her part, an Agric Extension Officer at Apradan, Ms. Agnes Bimpeh, encouraged farmers to use organic fertilizers instead of weedicides, explaining that organic fertilizers promote biodiversity on cocoa farms.

She said farmers stand to benefit from mushrooms, snails and fresh cocoyam leaves, while other organisms like earthworms and termites also thrive when organic fertilizers are used.