Eastern Region detects swollen shoot disease

Breman Brakwa (C/R), Sept 9, GNA - The COCOBOD Control Unit of Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease in the Eastern Region has detected 9,673,424 cocoa trees infected with swollen shoot virus disease. The Deputy Eastern Regional Manager, Mr Francis Antwi Adjei, told the GNA in an interview after a farmers' rally at Brakwa that Boadua cocoa district recorded 283,824 diseased trees. He said even though Brakwa was located in the Central Region, most of its farmlands were in the Eastern Region. It is also a boundary town between the two regions.
Mr Adjei said Brakwa farming community had proved difficult in accepting the challenge to allow his outfit to control the virus by cutting down the trees despite compensation packages for them. He said between November 2006 and August 2007, a total of 147,980 diseased trees had been cut from 214 farms in the region and out of this figure, 23,809 diseased trees were removed from 18 farms in the Boadua cocoa district.
Mr Adjei said 96,994 hybrid seedlings had been supplied to farmers whose farms were treated. He said GHc58,993 was paid as compensation to farmers in the Eastern Region, out of which the Boadua District had GHc14,275. GNA DK 09 Sept 07