Black pod disease attacks cocoa farms in Tafo

Tafo (E/R) June 14, GNA - Mr. Baron Amoafo Tafo, District Manager of the Produce Buying Company, has called on the government to step up the mass spraying of cocoa farms in the area, to help eradicate the outbreak of the black pod disease. He said a number of the affected farmers were agitating for proactive measures to check the spread of the disease. Mr. Amoafo made the call at a meeting with marketing clerks of the company at Tafo at the weekend. He commended the farmers for adopting good post-harvest practices like the fermenting and drying of cocoa beans, which had led to the drastic reduction of the purple disease. Mr. Amoafo said items worth more than 3,000 Ghana Cedis have been distributed to the company's loyal farmers as incentive to double their production for the next cocoa season. The items include mosquito nets, soap, cutlasses, iodated salt and tooth pastes.