A one-day sensitisation programme on cocoa swollen shoot disease for about 150 cocoa farmers has ended at Breman Essiam in the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam District of the Central Regio.
Participants were taken through topics including main cocoa diseases in Ghana, causes, symptoms, control, precautions to take when establishing a cocoa farm and application of chemicals among others.
The Ghana Cocoa Board (GCB) was the main sponsor, while the Cocoa Producers Alliance (COPAL) sub-regional cocoa swollen shoot project 2010 were the co-ordinators.
Resource persons included Dr H. Dzahini-Obiatey, Mr M.K. Asua and Mr Owusu Domfeh, all of the Plant Pathology Division of Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG).
According to Dr Dzahini-Obiatey, the project is a three-year initiative for all cocoa growing areas in Ghana, and that the first phase will cover Western, Central and Brong Ahafo Regions.
He said Ghana, once a leading world producer of cocoa, now ranks third due to disease, dry weather, fire outbreaks and smuggling of the produce to neighbouring countries.
Mr Erick K. Adjei, Central Regional Manager of the GCB, appealed to cocoa farmers to allow the agric officer to cut down affected cocoa trees to allow for re-planting, adding that GCB would supply the needed seedlings and inputs.
Odeefuor Afankwa II, Omanhen of Breman Essiam Traditional Area, who chaired the function, expressed appreciation to GCB and all stakeholders associated with the project.
Odeefuor Afankwa appealed to farmers to go back and put what they had learnt into useful practice to enable them to produce more cocoa for their own welfare and that of Ghana.