By Isaac Arkoh, GNA
Assin-Adeambra
(C/R), May 15, - More than 300 youth who
are into cocoa farming in the Assin South District of the Central Region are
receiving training on cocoa-hand-pollination, targeted at increasing cocoa
yield across the country.
Hand pollination,
also known as mechanical pollination is a technique that can be used to
pollinate plants when natural or open pollination is either undesirable or
insufficient. This method of pollination is done by manually transferring
pollen from one plant to the other.
Addressing trainees
at Assin-Adeambra on Friday, Mr. Derrick Owusu Ambrose, the District Chief
Executive (DCE), said the one-month training programme was essential to build
their capacity in educating cocoa farmers on best practices to sustain their
farms.
He was optimistic
that the artificial pollination initiative will significantly increase cocoa
production and income of farmers.
It formed part of
various interventions put up by the Government towards reviving the cocoa
industry, regarded as the backbone of Ghana's economy from pre-colonial times
to date.
Key among the interventions
included the purchase of weeding and plugging machines, the employment of more
than 10,000 trainers on hand pollination and the re-introduction of mass cocoa
spraying exercise, all in an effort to increase yields and ensure good economic
returns.
The DCE advised the
farmers to see farming as a business with good returns and invest their
resources into it and advised the youth to take advantage of Government's
instituted funds for the youth and venture into cocoa farming and agriculture
in general.
They were to make
good use of the fertilizers given them at a subsidized price rather than
transport them to neighbouring countries to the detriment of the country.
He called on cocoa
farmers to give strong support to the exercise to boost crop yield.
Mr. Ambrose
acknowledged the contribution of cocoa farmers and farmers in general for the
growth of the economy.
Mr Enoch Anson, the
District Focal Extension Agent appealed to cocoa farmers to discard the old
ideas of farming and heed the advice of the extension officers by adopting new
technologies developed from research to improve cocoa production.
He said COCOBOD will
continue distributing free seedlings to farmers and carry out the mass spraying
and the pruning exercises and advised the farmers to clear their farms to ease
their work.
GNA