Cocoa farmers to benefit from new technology

Mankranso (Ashanti Region) -- Five hundred cocoa farmers in the Ahafo Ano South District are to benefit from a high-tech cocoa production programme, aimed at improving the yield of the farmers.

The exercise, due to start at the end of this month, is being organised by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana, in conjunction with the Ahafo Ano South District Directorate of Agriculture.

Under the programme, which will cover two acres of the cocoa farms of each of the selected farmers, they will be provided with inputs to fertilise their famrs to transform the farms into high-yielding ones, capable of producing five bags out of an acre.

The Ahafo Ano South District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Kwaku Obeng Boateng, disclosed this at the second ordinary meeting of the assembly at Mankranso.

He said the farmers will only pay for the cost of the inputs after the sale of their produce. He urged the initiators of the programme to make the selection exercise as fair as possible in order not to defeat the purpose of the programme.

The DCE announced that the assembly, through the adoption of effective measures, was able to achieve a record 137 per cent increase in revenue generation in 2002. An amount of ?649.8 million was collected in revenue, as against the estimated ?475.1 million last year.

In the previous year (2001), the assembly recorded an increase of 105.3 per cent in revenue generation. He mentioned some of the measures which assisted in the increased revenue generation as the widening of the tax base, educational programmes and provision of incentives to industrious collectors.

He said the improved revenue generation has enabled the assembly to honour almost all its obligations, including prompt payment of salaries to casual workers of the assembly, constant repair of office equipment, payment of allowances to traditional rulers, among others.

Mr Boateng commended the revenue collectors and the various officers of the assembly whose efforts have contributed to this success.

He stressed that with the ceding of some of the revenue items to the area councils, the assembly will work hard to even improve on its revenue generation this year.

Mr Boateng said the assembly has completed a number of development projects initiated under the past administration and also completed a number of new ones to help improve the standard of living of the people.

The DCE said the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETfund) will construct six unit classroom blocks each at Afreseni, Bokuruwa, Nyameadom and Nsutem this year.

He also announced that two schools will be built at Bonkwaso and Mpasaso No 1 under the Otumfuo Education Fund. Mr Boateng said that the assembly has procured 100 teak poles to support the district electrification programme.