The government's mass spraying of cocoa exercise is to reduce the cumbersome and expensive control of diseases and pests to help revamp the industry Mr Emmanuel Duku, Dormaa District Chief Executive said.

He said the exercise would also create jobs for the youth to discourage them from streaming to the urban centres in search of non-existent jobs.

Launching the programme at Tweapease in the Dormaa District Mr Duku said 366 personnel had so far been trained for the exercise in the district and the necessary inputs and insecticides had been supplied.

He appealed to farmers to weed their farms and to support and encourage the personnel for the exercise to go on smoothly.

The DCE advised the trainees to make judicious use of the inputs and avoid the temptation of diverting them.

Mr E.A. Amponsah, a farmer, thanked the government for the initiative and hoped that further efforts would be made to revamp the cocoa industry to boost the country's economy.