{"id":326824,"date":"2017-06-10T11:00:29","date_gmt":"2017-06-10T11:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=326824"},"modified":"2017-06-10T11:00:29","modified_gmt":"2017-06-10T11:00:29","slug":"cocobod-launches-artificial-pollination-programme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/06\/cocobod-launches-artificial-pollination-programme\/","title":{"rendered":"COCOBOD launches artificial pollination programme"},"content":{"rendered":"
A Hand Pollination Piloting Program has been launched by the Ghana Cocoa Board to boost production of cocoa to 1million tonnes by 2020.<\/p>\n
According to the CEO of COCOBOD, Mr. Joseph Boahen Aidoo, in a time where the world market price of Cocoa is fluctuating, the hand pollination program will \u201ccompensate for the fall in price\u201d, as the program will increase the farmers\u2019 production.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAt the moment farmers in Ghana on the average are producing 0.45 tonnes per hectare, whereas, in other places, Malaysia, Indonesia, Ecuador they are doing 2 tonnes per hectare, some are doing even more than 2 tonnes per hectare. We want our farmers to also reach that target, but you can only do that when you\u2019re doing hand pollination, in that case, we will be having about 100 to 150 pods per tree instead of let\u2019s say 50 pods or 40 pods.\u201d<\/p>\n At the launch of the piloting of the Hand Pollination Program today (Thursday), at Mankranso in the Ahafo Ano South District of the Ashanti Region, He said the Hand Pollination exercise will in no way reduce the quality of cocoa pods produced on each tree. However, \u201cfarmers will have to adequately feed the soil with enough nutrients, so that the pods are healthy, they also have to get good irrigation, and that is why our Chinese friends are here to find the best possible way of irrigating our farms.\u201d<\/p>\n