The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has begun the free distribution of 50 million cocoa seedlings to farmers nationwide. The exercise that would run between April and July this year would ensure that all registered cocoa farmers in the country received free hybrid seedlings.
It formed part of efforts to raise the country’s cocoa output from the current 850,000 tonnes to 1.5 million tonnes.
The Executive Director of the Seed Production Unit (SPU) of COCOBOD, Dr Isaac Yaw Opoku, disclos-ed this to the Daily Graphic in Accra.
The initiative is aimed at ensuring that the country’s annual cocoa output equalled or overtook that of Cote d’Ivoire, which harvested about 1.7 million tonnes of the crop in the 2013/14 crop season.
This will be the first time the country will, in one crop season produce 50 million hybrid cocoa seedlings which had also been treated from the swollen shoot disease.
The highest was in the 2010/11 cocoa season when 20 million seedlings were produced and freely distributed to cocoa farmers to replant.
“Now, the Chief Executive (Dr Stephen Opuni) has directed that we produce 50 million seedlings so that every farmer can get access to these seedlings free of charge to replant,” he said.
He added that the seedlings, produced by the SPU and the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) will complement a further free distribution of cocoa pods to farmers.
“Previously, we used to subsidise the seedlings and the pods for farmers but since 2009, we started giving the seedlings free and subsidising the pods. But now, the CEO has directed that all be given out freely,” Dr Opoku indicated. Access
Explaining how cocoa farmers can access the seedlings, Dr Opoku said interested people needed to register with the board through its licensed extension officers working in the various communities.
The registration, he said, would take into account the size of the farm, the type of farm – new or existing one – as well as the quantity of seedlings the person required.
“We have enough seedlings for everybody, no matter the size of the farm involved. All you need is to register and tell us how many you want,” the director further stated.
Ghana’s cocoa output peaked at over one million tonnes in the 2010/11 crop season only to drop to 850,000 tonnes.
Although the board has been working at increasing the yield levels, challenges such as pests and diseases, low yielding crops and harsh climatic conditions continue to hamper that objective.
The free distribution of the 50 million seedlings is expected to help cure the challenges, Dr Opoku said, citing the high yielding nature of the newly produced seedlings.
“Currently, the crops we have in the farms have an average yield level of about 450 to 500 kilogrammes per hectare (kg per ha). However, with the new seedlings that we are giving out free of charge, the yield level is between 1,000 and 1,500kg per ha,” he said.
The Executive Director of the SPU added that the new seedlings were tolerant of pests and diseases, including the notorious black pod disease and mirids, yielded early (about 18 months) and could also withstand harsh climatic conditions.
Beyond the free distribution exercise, Dr Opoku said the board would intensify its farm treatment exercise, rehabilitation of farms and replanting of old and moribund farms, all aimed at raising annual output of the crop to appreciable levels.
