Agona Swedru, April 24, GNA - The Ghana Cocoa Board is supporting cocoa farmers to increase their production, to enable the country to hit its target of one million metric tones of cocoa by the year 2012. The support include the supply of Hybrid seedlings to farmers, application of modern farming methods, mass spraying of cocoa farms, provision of fertilizer and the payment of compensation to owners of infected cocoa farms.

The measures also include the motivation of security personnel and the formation of an anti-cocoa smuggling squad.

Mr Ebenezer Opoku-Agyeman, Senior Manager of the Central Regional Quality Control Unit of the Cocoa Board, made this known, when the new National Chief Farmer of the Cocoa, Coffee and Sheanut Farmers Association, Alhaji Alhasan Abubakri met cocoa farmers at Agona Swedru, as part of his nationwide tour.

Mr Opoku-Agyeman advised the farmers to use the approved pesticides and ensure correct fermentation period of their cocoa beans. He cautioned Licensing Buying Companies (LBCs), who are allegedly buying fresh cocoa beans to stop the act or face the full rigours of the law. Alhaji A bubakari said his visit to the Central Region was to acquaint himself with the problems facing cocoa farmers and to see how best they can be solved.

Mr Kwesi Ofori, Central Regional Chief Farmer urged the government to ensure that the cocoa mass spraying exercise covers all farmers. Nana Kofi Agyekum, Acting Omanhene of Nsaba Traditional Council appealed to the National Chief Farmer and the government to check the malpractices in the scholarship scheme, which was meant for the children of cocoa farmers.

He said non-farmers are enjoying the scheme whiles the actual farmers have been left out. Nana Agyekum, who is also the Chief Farmer of the Agona District, praised government for the arrest and prosecution of some security personnel, allegedly involved in the smuggling of cocoa at some entry points of the country.