One Million Plantain Seedlings Ready For Planting – COCOBOD

The Government of Ghana and COCOBOD for about three years ago initiated a process to tackle the menace of cocoa swollen virus disease through the cutting of affected cocoa trees with the aim of rehabilitating cocoa farms across the country to boost productivity.

In an effort to place the cocoa farmers under the better conditions of livelihood, both COCOBOD and the government of Ghana brought the idea of free plantain plantation to sustain them till they start harvesting the replanted cocoa trees.

However, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Aiddo is indicating that about one million plantain seedlings are ready to be exported to various cocoa farms for planting.

For COCOBOD to commence the planting

it first requested the usage of plantain seedling materials with the provision of about One Thousand (1,000) direct jobs.

Plantain suckers are said to carry pests as it’s being transferred from old to new farms but COCOBOD after a realization decided to get a technique to remove all the disease and treat the plantain suckers before being planted.

Again it was noted that one plantain sucker can be propagated into over a hundred seedlings with a minimum of 25.

Mr. Boahen Aidoo said the planting of the plantain provides temporal shades for the cocoa to grow.

Furthermore, Mr. Boahen Aiddo emphasized that the plantain materials would be used for subsequent rehabilitation programs as well as making it for the benefit of the farmers.

According to COCOBOD Chief Executive Officer, the farmers are happy with the introduction of planting of plantain after cutting down cocoa trees as a result of Swollen Shoot Virus Disease.

The Plantain Seedling Nursery which commenced in December 2021 is said to be a Private project with support from the Government of Ghana and COCOBOD.

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Mr. Boahen Aiddo after having seen the magnitude of the plantain suckers commended the effort of Afarinick Company Limited (KUMAD Global Impact Limited) in applying all the techniques to the plantain seedling nursery.

Moreover, the site is currently having (Sectors A and B) together with 7.606Ha of area size, 3.641Ha of nursery area, and 693 total chambers.

The Plantain Seedling Nursery Site for the COCOBOD rehabilitation project is situated in Suaman Dadieso District in the Western North Region.

 

Filed By Benjamin Bray Kantanka TV W/R Correspondent