1,200 Farmers to Benefit From Cocoa, Coffee Seedlings Under Planting for Export and Rural Devt Programme

By Alberto Mario Noretti And Dzolo-Kpuita

The Ho West District Assembly, in collaboration with COCOBOD, has raised 500,000 and 40,000 cocoa and coffee seedlings respectively for distribution to 1,200 farmers in the area, under the Planting for Export and Rural Development programme.

The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Ernest Victor Apau who disclosed this to the Ghanaian Times at Dzolo-Kpuita, the district capital on Monday said that the allocation of the seedlings would cover 70 per cent of the district's farmlands.

He said that the seedlings would be distributed for free from nurseries at Kpoeta-Achem, Saviefe-Agorkpo, Biakpa and Bame.

Mr Apau advised farmers who had registered for the exercise to contact the nearest nursery with their identity cards for their seedlings.

According to the DCE, other seedlings such as oil palm and cashew would also be distributed to the farmers later.

Mr Apau urged the youth to take advantage of the interventions and take up cocoa and coffee production with great zeal and enthusiasm.

The free distribution of the seedlings comes weeks after US-based investor group, African Palm Corp signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ho West Assembly to buy palm fruits from local farmers and process them into crude palm oil for export.

Other agreements between the stakeholders and the company will be signed as soon as African Palm Corp puts up a factory to start operations.

Under the deal, African Palm Corp would support local farmers with inputs to produce oil palm bountifully to feed the project which is expected to span into the long term to generate 40,000 jobs in the next seven years.

The DCE assured the investors of cordial working relations with the communities.

"The prevailing peace in the area is a catalyst for smooth business and makes Ho West the best investment destination," he added.

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