The Cocoa Health Extension Division (CHED) of Cocobod is to begin free distribution of 10.2 million high-yielding and disease-resistant cocoa seedlings to farmers across the Ashanti Region.

Mr. Godfred Oduro-Baah, the Regional Technical Manager of the Division, said this would significantly help to revamp the cocoa industry and raise production levels.

The target is to supply 60 million seedlings to cocoa growers nationwide, this year.

With that, it is envisaged that about 50,000 hectares of land would be put under cocoa cultivation and could add 20,000 tons of the crop to the national production.

Mr. Oduro-Baah told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview that the seedlings would go to those whose farms had been destroyed by bushfires and for the establishment of new farms.

He underlined the determination of the Division to make sure that the seedlings and other agricultural inputs including chemicals and fertilizers were fairly distributed.

He encouraged the youth to take to cocoa farming and said it was rewarding.