Ho, April 26, GNA - Cocoa production is to be revived in the forested and semi-forested areas of the Ho Municipal area under a scheme initiated by Captain George Nfojoh, Ho-Central Member of Parliament.

The scheme would be funded from the MPs Common Fund and the Heavily Indebted Poor Country's (HIPC) Fund. He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Monday during a meeting of the first batch of about 800 targeted farmers that the plan should bring the cultivation of the 93golden-pod" back to the fore as prime source of income in the area. Captain Nfojoh said 20,000 hybrid seeds had been nursed for distribution among the farmers who would be guided by a technical team through land preparation, planting and management. He said the devastating bush fires of the early 1980's, which destroyed cocoa farms was the main factor that caused the slide in cocoa production in the area. He said the GH¢ 20,000 yearly project a 93budding one, should raise the living standards of the rural population in area in the coming years".

Captain Nfojoh warned the farmers against the smuggling of the tonnes of cocoa to be realized under the scheme. Mr Daniel Tetteh Angmor, Chief Technical Officer of the Saviefe Cocoa Station who took the farmers through a lecture on cocoa farming said the hybrids could yield fruits in 18 months if the farms were managed well. He said it was better to cultivate a small farm that one could manage rather than a big but badly managed one with low yields. 26 April 11