Don’t release farms for ‘galamsey’ activities - Farmers advised

The Director in charge of anti-galamsey activities at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Prof. Michael Kwarteng, has called on farmers not to sell or release their cocoa farms to illegal miners.

He stressed that COCOBOD was ready to support them to resist any attempts by illegal mining companies to invade their farms and destroy them.

The officer assured cocoa farmers at Akyem Asuom that COCOBOD was taking over the court case between them and AC ZENON Mining Company to ensure speedy dispensation of justice.

Prof. Kwarteng made the call at a farmers rally organised by the Eastern Regional Directorate of Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) of COCOBOD at Asuom near Kade to educate the participants on the need to adopt research findings to enhance increased productivity.

The Regional Extension Officer of COCOBOD, Mr Michael Gyasi, cautioned cocoa farmers to refrain from the negative practice of smuggling cocoa beans to the neighbouring countries to enrich those nations at the expense of Ghana.

He gave an assurance that COCOBOD had decided to handsomely reward people who would give reliable information towards the arrest of cocoa smugglers.

Mr Gyasi urged farmers to report purchasing clerks who adjusted their weighing scales to exploit them for COCOBOD to sanction such nation wreckers.

The regional extension officer educated them on climate change and advised them to adopt climate smart cocoa production such as manual weeding, planting of economic shade trees, application of organic fertiliser (cocoa husks) and the likes to increase productivity and sustain the ecosystem.

He admonished the farmers to take advantage of the recent rains by collecting free hybrid and economic shade tree seedlings from the seed Production Division of COCOBOD at Akyem Bieni to plant in their newly established, burnt, refilling and treated farms.

The Kwaebibirem District Cocoa Officer, Mr Isaac Bentum, advised farmers to consider cocoa production as a great business since the cocoa industry was one of the largest contributors to revenue generation for the nation.

The Municipal Director of  Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Mrs Joyce Kyerewaa, enjoined farmers to cultivate other crops such as maize, cassava and garden eggs to supplement their income.