President Mahama outlines measures to support cocoa production

President John Dramani Mahama on Saturday outlined measures government had adopted to increase cocoa production and better the lots of farmers throughout cocoa farming areas in the country.

He said apart from increasing the producer price of the cash crop to encourage farmers to step up production, government had also launched the national cocoa rehabilitation project, which involved the replacement of old cocoa trees and those destroyed by diseases with hybrid cocoa seedlings.

President Mahama announced these during the ‘Akwambo’ festival of the chiefs and people of Agona Nyakrom in the Central Region.

He said government had also launched the weighing stone programme, which would help eliminate the cheating of farmers during the sale of the produce.

The ‘Akwambo’, which literally means clearing or construction of road in the fante language, is a home-coming festival that reunite indigenes of the area.

The people also use the occasion to evaluate their performance in the year and pray for progress and development for the traditional area in the succeeding years.

President Mahama said Agona Nyarkrom was a renowned cocoa growing area, and government would do everything under its purview to provide the necessary assistance that would invigorate cocoa production for both domestic and external consumption.

The President said government would also continue with the national cocoa spraying exercise to increase yield, and appealed to cocoa farmers to register in order to benefit from the assistance and extension services that would help to increase cocoa production.

He said under the three and half years of late President John Evans Atta Mills, the area had benefitted from development projects, notably; school blocks, nurses and teachers’ quarters, roads and an Information Communication Centre.

President Mahama called on the people to vote for him in Election 2012, to enable him to complete all the projects initiated under late President Mills “Better Ghana Agenda”.

The President promised that government would strengthen the security network in the area to ensure free and fair elections in December.

President Maham promised to instruct the Inspector General of Police to provide the police in the area with a four-wheel vehicle to facilitate their movement in the course of their duties.

Okufo Nyarko Eku X, Omanhene of Agona Traditional Area, appealed to government to provide the area with a police station befitting the status of an ever growing town like Agona Nyakrom.

He commended the government for providing school blocks, roads and quarters to house their professionals, and appealed to the authorities to support the people to build a community Centre.