Cocobod treats diseased cocoa trees

Accra, May 5, GNA - The Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease Control (CSSVD) unit of Cocobod has in the last decade treated a total of 25,000 hectares of cocoa farms afflicted by the disease nationwide. Mr Fracis T. Nsiah, Deputy Director of CSSVD said on Friday that the swollen shoot disease had afflicted at least 26 million trees across the cocoa belt.

He told the GNA in an interview that the Eastern Region was the hardest hit and that CSSVD paid compensation to the affected farmers after cutting down diseased trees on their farms. Cocobod currently pays about four million cedis for a hectare of cocoa farm destroyed.

Swollen shoot is a virus that affects cocoa trees and manifests its symptoms in the leaves, shoots and roots. It is capable of killing a mature tree within two years and the only cure is to cut the infected trees and their contacts. 5 May 06