Mr Kwasi Boamah Adomako, Commercial Director of New Okaff Industries Limited, has urged the Ghanaian government to support local manufacturers in producing more agrochemicals for farmers.

Mr Adomako stated in an exclusive interview with Oyerepa Online/TV that local companies have everything needed to produce agrochemicals for farmers to use on their farms. However, because of financial constraints, companies such as New Okaff are not able to make greater quantities of chemicals for farmers.

Nevertheless, if the government offers monetary support to manufacturing companies, they will be able to produce enough products that can be used locally as well as exported.

"If local companies get sponsorship from the government, we can manufacture farming products for local farmers, some of our products can even be exported because the local companies have the ability to produce a lot of agrochemicals, but our only challenge is finance." He told Joseph Marfo.

Speaking about the perception some Ghanaians have that locally made products are inferior, hence going in for imported ones, he said;

"We’re only causing harm to ourselves because we have always disregarded our own for imported ones which in the end causes havoc to ourselves."

He stressed that there are a lot of agrochemicals that negatively affect Ghanaians’ cocoa production.

According to him, many foreign-made chemicals when applied to cocoa kill its lifespan; the chemicals do not permit the cocoa to bear fruits as projected, which is another reason why farmers seem to have been unable to increase cocoa yields in recent years.

"There are a lot of imported agrochemicals that badly affect our cocoa when we apply it. These chemicals gradually kill the cocoa and do not permit it to bear an abundance of fruits. It doesn’t allow farmers to get enough yields." The New Okaff Commercial Director disclosed.