The Esase Cocoa Farmers Union, an association of cocoa farmers within the Sefwi Wiawso District, has appealed to the government to stop the mass spraying exercise and sell the insecticides directly to farmers.

The appeal, according to the group, stemmed from the fact that only about 30 per cent of cocoa farms in the area were covered during the three months spraying exercise. At a meeting of cocoa farmers held at Esase, chaired by Nana Kwame Boah II, Esasehene, the farmers praised the government for efforts at curbing the black pod disease.

The group urged the government to sell the insecticides directly to farmers through the District Purchasing Officers to ensure the success of the mass spraying exercise. It announced that a vigilante group had been formed to check the activities of farmers who might indulge in cocoa smuggling.

The group commended the government for the 41 per cent increase in the producer price of cocoa, saying that it had boosted the moral of all cocoa farmers. “We are working hard for Ghana to reclaim her past glory as the world’s leader,” the group said.