Dr Francis Baah, the Executive Director of Cocoa Health Extension Division of the Ghana COCOBOD, has called on farmers to plant new high yielding cocoa varieties than maintain aged trees with fertilizer.

He said this year, 60, 000 seedlings will be distributed free to cocoa farmers throughout the cocoa districts of the country.

Dr Baah was speaking at the inauguration of the ten-member Cocoa Task Force for the Nkawkaw Cocoa District.

In all, 60 of such task forces would be established throughout the country to supervise the distribution of logistics such as insecticides, fertilizers, spraying machines and cocoa seedlings to cocoa farmers to help increase cocoa production in the country.

Mr Kofi Kutsoti, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in charge of operations of the Ghana COCOBOD, urged the task force members to ensure fair distribution of insecticides, fungicides, fertilizers and cocoa seedlings to increase high quality cocoa in the country.

He urged them to draw up effective management plans for the farmers to avoid negative practices that will affect cocoa production in the country.

Mr Alex Somoah Obeng, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), appealed for more inputs and logistics for the farmers especially, spraying machines and also post more extension officers to educate the farmers on modern farming practices.