Wassa-Akropong (W/R), Sept. 22, GNA - The mass cocoa spraying exercise initiated by the government to boost cocoa production is still free and does not attract any fee from farmers and it is without any partisan consideration.

Madam Doris Gyapomah Oduro, Wassa Amenfi East District Chief Executive (DCE) also maintained that, the exercise had created jobs for thousands of people and increased cocoa yield tremendously to sustain the economy. She was briefing the Ghana News Agency on the outcome of a meeting she held with mass cocoa spraying gangs and their supervisors at Wassa-Akropong on Wednesday.

The meeting was necessitated by reports she received from some farmers and spraying gangs during a recent familiarisation visit to some communities in the district.

The DCE explained that, those who took money from farmers for spraying their farms were those engaged by the farmers themselves and not those engaged by the Government for the exercise. Madam Oduro mentioned inadequate supply of chemicals, broken-down spraying machines that needed to be repaired and insufficient allowances to the workers as some of the complaints.

She warned against stealing and diversion of materials and chemicals meant for the exercise and said those caught involved in these vices would not be spared.

She expressed concern about the tendency of some farmers, who sold their produce to licensed buying agencies in neighbouring districts after receiving support from the Amenfi East District Assembly, thereby denying the district of revenue for its development. She advised farmers and gang supervisors not to hesitate to approach her for assistance, whenever they faced difficulties.

Madam Oduro appealed to the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to construct and rehabilitate roads from remote communities to the district capital to enhance cocoa evacuation to buying depots. Fifteen people would be engaged to beef up the present 103 spraying gangs in the district to enhance the exercise. The DCE disclosed that the District Assembly supplied 4,000 bags of fertilisers valued at 900 million cedis to cocoa farmer at the beginning of this farming season.

The farmers are expected to pay 50 per cent of the cost, while the assembly pay the remaining cost from its share of the common fund.