Offinso Municipal Cocoa Farmers Association commends govt

The Offinso Municipal Cocoa, Coffee and Shea nut Farmers Association has commended the government for inaugurating a new community task force for the Cocoa Disease and Pest Control Programme (CODAPEC). The formation of the task force is to ensure smooth operation in the cocoa, coffee and shea nut production sectors of the economy.

The Offinso Municipal Chief Farmer, Nana Kwaku Duah, gave the commendation on behalf of the association at a meeting in Offinso in the Ashanti Region. He said the task force would help regulate activities of cocoa farmers in the Offinso area and the country at large.

He added that the task force had now taken over the duties of the metropolitan, municipal and district Chief executives (MMDCEs) who formerly supervised the activities of CODAPEC.

He said the old task force comprised the MMDCE, the metropolitan, municipal and district (MMD) chief farmers, the MMD Directors of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture or representatives, a prominent female farmer and the MMD CODAPEC Co-ordinator.

Nana Kwaku Duah went on further to say the new task force was made up of the community extension agent, the chief of the community, community chief farmer, spraying gang supervisor, a representative of female farmers in the community and the assembly member or unit committee chairperson.

Nana Duah said cocoa farmers in Offinso were grateful to the government who through the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) had supplied the farmers with a bag of fertiliser each for an acre of cocoa, coffee or shea nut farm. He, therefore, challenged members of the association to work hard to increase the crop yield.

He praised the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of COCOBOD, Dr Stephen Opuni, and the National Chief Farmer for Cocoa, Coffee and Shea nut Producers Association, Alhaji Alhassan Bukari, and national executives for putting in place the new task force.