Mpasaso (Ash), Feb 2, GNA - A traditional ruler and cocoa farmer, has appealed to the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to re-open the District Cocoa Office at Mpasaso, in the Ahafo-Ano South District.

Nana Tabiri Gyansah III, Paramount Chief of Mpasaso Traditional Area, speaking to the Ghana News Agency at Mpasaso the office must be reopened in view of the current increased production of the commodity in the area.

He said Cocoa District Office at Mpasaso was integrated into the Kunsu cocoa district in 1998 because of low production level in the area.

Nana Gyansah said the situation had now changed for the better, adding that, "with the high increases in production, it will now be prudent to re-open the cocoa district office at Mpasaso".

He attributed the improvement in production to the government's intervention including the mass cocoa spraying exercise, introduction of high and fast yielding breeds of cocoa, coupled with increases in the producer price of the commodity.

Nana Gyansah noted that many farmers who the abandoned their farms, had to return to rehabilitate them and even expand them now following the government intervention.

"Meanwhile, most youth who were engaged in food crop farming and vegetables, had also venture into cocoa farming because of its lucrative nature as at now," he added.

"All these, coupled with the government concern for proper growth and development of the cocoa industry accounts for the large output of cocoa produced in the Mpasaso area now, hence the need for a district office to cater solely for the more than 20 cocoa societies in the area".

Nana Gyansah observed that the grading and bagging of cocoa produced from the had to be done at Kunsu, which did not augur well for cocoa farmers in the Mpasaso area.