MOFA sets up Coconut Sector Development Unit

Sekondi Oct. 20, GNA - The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), has established a Coconut Sector Development Unit (CSDU), with its headquarters at Sekondi, to continue the work of the Coconut Sector Development Project (CSDP), which has ended.

Mr Emmanuel Sasu Yeboah, Head of the CSDU, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Sekondi, on Wednesday that, the MOFA has taken over the responsibilities of the CSDP.

He said the unit is producing high yielding hybrid coconut seedlings, such as the Sri-Lankan Green Dwarf, crossed with Vanuatu Tall (VTT), and Malayan Yellow Dwarf crossed with Vanuatu Tall, which are tolerant and resistant to the lethal yellowing disease. He said the local variety, West Africa Tall, is not resistant to the disease.

Mr Yeboah said the unit is also producing improved high yielding dwarf coconut varieties such as the Equatorial Green Dwarf (EGD), Sri-Lankan Green Dwarf (SGD), Malayan Yellow Dwarf (MYD) and Malayan Red Dwarf (MRD).

The head of the CSDU said the unit is charged with the establishment and expansion of coconut seed gardens and nurseries, as and when the need arises and also, the maintenance of existing coconut seed gardens and nurseries.

He said the unit is also to conduct on-farm adaptive research trials of new hybrid and improved coconut materials and assist in the surveillance of the resurgence and spread of the coconut lethal yellowing disease in the country.

Mr Yeboah said the CSDP was set up by government, following the devastation of about 11,000 hectares of coconut in the coastal belt by the lethal yellowing disease of coconut, locally called Cape Saint Paul Wilt Disease (CSPWD), in 1999.

He said the project was established with support of the French Government, through its aid agency, Agence Francaise de Development (AFD).

Mr Yeboah said the five-year project was launched in April 1999 with MOFA having the ministerial responsibility, Ghana Rubber Estates Limited (GREL), as technical operator and Bank of Ghana and Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) as financial operators. He said the initial completion date was March 31, 2004 but the project was granted twenty-one months extension from April 1, 2004 to December 31st, 2005. 20 Oct. 10