Hohoe, Nov. 27, GNA - Only 24 million cedis out of 300 million cedis worth of Hitech Cocoa Fertilizers supplied to cocoa farmers have been repaid in the Hohoe District.

Mr Cyprian Afenya, Co-ordinator of the Programme who announced this at the 2004/2005 Volta Regional Produce Buying Company (PBC) Limited Best Cocoa Farmers Award ceremony at Hohoe said about 50 cocoa farmers who benefited from the loan facility in 2003/2004 farming season failed to repay their indebtedness to enable others also to enjoy the largesse.

He said though cocoa farmers gained tremendously from the application of the fertilizers resulting in high yields, they remained adamant to pay back despite incessant reminders. The farmers at an open forum said they thought that the fertilizer were supplied to them for experimental purposes on their farms and did not know it was a credit facility.

They said the fertilizers were not supplied on time with others contending that the fertilizer application rather reduced their yields. The farmers' groups further enumerated the absence of extension officers to cocoa farmers' unsuccessful attempts to form societies to hire spraying machines to spray cocoa farms and the failure of the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Viral Disease (CSSVD) Unit to fully treat the diseased farms as some challenges affecting their operations.

Mr John Atsu was adjudged the best district cocoa farmer and Mr Kwadwo Kokoti Awlosi being the first runner-up. They received solar lamps, wax prints, certificates and cutlasses. A total of 11 societies in the cocoa district were also honoured.