President John Dramani Mahama has promised to revamp the cocoa production sector, especially in the Eastern Region, with the distribution of free seedlings expected to play a major role.<\/p>\n
Aside the regular challenges the cocoa sector faces from pests and diseases, activities of small scale illegal miners popularly has emerged to be a major threat to the country\u2019s total cocoa output.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”5H7baPKo7FhKKyBM2MMoPQUvmAFDJbIQ”]Though President Mahama did not speak to the threat of illegal mining, he cited government\u2019s free seedling distribution as one of the measures put in place to improve yields during an address to his National Democratic Congress (NDC) faithful in the Fanteakwa North constituency during his campaign tour.<\/p>\n
The NDC flagbearer assured that his government wanted to “cocoa farmers to make more money. That is why we are embarking on the free seedling distribution.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo if you know you cocoa trees are over grown and unproductive, you would have to cut them down and go for new seedlings. They are absolutely free,\u201d President Mahama said in advise to the farmers.<\/p>\n
Thus, \u201cif you visit the seedling bank, your farm will be measured and you will receive free seedlings just like that,\u201d\u00a0he added.<\/p>\n