COCOBOD expresses worry about extent of damage from swollen shoot virus

The Chief Executive of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Joseph Boahen Aidoo, has expressed deep worry about the extent of Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD) infestation on cocoa farms in the country.

 

Mr. Aidoo made the observation when he toured some cocoa farms in the Western South and Western North Cocoa Regions of Ghana, to acquaint himself with the state of cocoa farms after the introduction of a Hand Pollination exercise.

Mr. Aidoo expressed disappointment at the state of CSSVD infestation when he was introduced to it, as well as pest infestations on some farms. 

He was accompanied on the familiarisation tour by the directors of COCOBOD subsidiaries, Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) and Seed Production Division (SPD), and used the occasion to discuss with some subsidiary heads the remedial actions to be taken immediately as well as designing a rehabilitation programme. 

He implored them to take samples of the diseased pods for further studies to arrive at the appropriate interventions.

The CEO stated his readiness to tackle the state of disease infestation in the Ghanaian cocoa industry. “Until we are able to take stringent measures to curtail the disease infestations on large tracts of cocoa farms, cocoa yield in the coming years will drastically fall,” he said. 

“The likely poor yield can impoverish the Ghanaian cocoa farmer and affect the overall world chocolate industry,” he added.

Mr. Aidoo intimated that the only means of salvaging the distressed situation will be to source for funds and embark on a vigorous cocoa farm rehabilitation programme while deepening the Cocoa Hi-Tech programme to massively fight cocoa disease and pest infestation.

He called on cocoa farmers to fully embrace the interventions that will be used to decrease cocoa diseases and pest infestations as a means to fighting the menace.

The Managing Director of Quality Control Company, Dr. Isaac Yaw Opoku, used the occasion to demonstrate to some farmers how to handle cocoa beans so as to ensure good quality cocoa beans for sale.