Ghanaian Farmer’s Amazing Testimonial About Cocoa Hand Pollination
A young Cocoa Farmer at Bompieso in the Huni Valley Cocoa District, Alex Appiah, has narrated and testified in a video recorded on his farm, the impact of the cocoa hand pollination exercise carried out on his farm this year.
In the said video which has gone viral on various social media platforms, Mr Appiah is seen standing by a young pollinated cocoa tree and joyfully disclosing that two cocoa trees on his farm had been able to produce 900 and 1,229 pods respectfully after they were hand-pollinated.
The cocoa farmer further openly threw an invitation to the Head of COCOBOD to visit his farm to witness for himself, how the pollination exercise had progressed and why the exercise should be sustained.
‘Last year, Hon Boahen Aidoo came to my farm and said he visited a farm in a certain district where a single tree had about 960 pods. But I challenged him that I will be able to beat that record in the ensuing year. True to that, I have this tree which has 980 pods and even another one which has 1,229 pods. I wish to invite Hon Aidoo to witness this phenomenon on my farm,’ he said enthusiastically.
Mr. Alex Appiah appealed to COCOBOD to continue the Hand Pollination Programme describing it as a major sustainability initiative that is helping farm yield to increase significantly.
‘I plead with COCOBOD to continue this novelty ……………judging from what I see on my farm this year, I can confidently say I will be able to harvest 80bags from the two hectares farm pollinated’, he expressed.
Three years ago, COCOBOD introduced the Hand Pollination Programme among other Productivity Enhancement Programmes (PEPs) to aggressively tackle the dwindling production levels in the country and also guarantee cocoa farmers, sustainable income and livelihoods. The results have been remarkable as farmers’ support has been very high.
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