A cocoa museum to be established in Abrafo

Jukwa Abrafo (C/R), Feb. 16, GNA - Mr Samuel Agyeibie Kessie, the District Chief Executive of Twifo-Heman-Lower-Denkyira, has cut the sod for work to begin on a 7,000-dollar "Cocoa Museum" at Abrafo in the Central Region.

The museum would be funded by the European Union and some non-governmental organisations and would give technical education to the Ghana cocoa industry and other food processing companies. Mr Agyeibe-Kessie said the establishment of the museum would open up the economy of the district and also help to sustain tourism. He appealed to the people in the area to embrace the project and contribute their quota towards its sustainability.

Mr Agyeibe-Kessie said the government has spent 14 billion cedis on the mass cocoa spraying exercise in the district.

"In spite of the huge investments in the mass spraying exercise, some unscrupulous people engaged in the exercise steal and adulterate the chemicals used for the spraying."

He appealed to the people in the area to be vigilant during the exercise and report those who indulge in such unpatriotic acts. Mr Agyeibe-Kessie said he was unhappy that over 500 million cedis loans given to some farmers have still not been paid and appealed to them to make efforts to repay the loans to enable others to benefit. Mr Kwame Obeng Adjinah, the National Coordinator of the mass cocoa spraying exercise, said since the introduction of the programme there has been an increase in cocoa production from 350,000 metric tonnes in 2001 to 740 tonnes in 2006