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CSSVD Control Unit intensifies
education on swollen shoot disease
Esaase-Bontefufuo (Ash), July 18, Ghanadot/GNA - The Ashanti
regional office of the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD
Control Unit of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), has
identified the outbreak of the cocoa swollen shoot disease
in some communities in the Amansie West District of Ashanti
and said the situation had affected cocoa production in the
area.
The communities include Ahwerewa, Esaase-Bontefufuo,
Aboabo-Tetekaaso, Tetrem and Kwabenakrom.
Mr Samuel Gyimah-Gyamfi, Deputy Ashanti Regional Manager of
the CSSVD Control Unit, announced this at a day's swollen
shoot disease control sensitisation rally organized for 200
farmers at Esaase-Bontefufuo in the Amansie West District on
Tuesday.
The rally aimed at educating farmers on the disease to
enable them to report such cases to the Unit for necessary
action to be taken.
He said the disease caused by a virus affected cocoa trees
causing defoliation, low yield and eventual death of the
tree.
Mr Gyimah-Gyamfi described some of its symptoms as light
yellowish and deep-red coloration along the veins and
midribs of the leaf, small rounded pods and swellings on the
shoots at the branches and roots.
He explained that the only remedy was to uproot the infested
cocoa trees from the farm.
He announced that the CSSVD Control Unit would assist
farmers to replant treated farms with improved cocoa
varieties, which were high yielding, disease-tolerant and
early bearing as well as paying them compensation.
Mr Gyimah-Gyamfi appealed to farmers whose farms had been
identified to be infested with the disease to co-operate
with the Unit in its efforts to control the disease.
Mr E Osei-Boakye, Amansie West District Officer of the CSSVD
Control Unit, said the Unit had drawn a programme to tour
all the districts to educate the farmers on the disease to
help improve cocoa production.
Mr Alex Mensah, District Chief Farmer, stressed the need for
farmers to rehabilitate their farms at all times to improve
their incomes and livelihood.
Nana Osei Assibey, chief of Esaase-Bontefufuo, who chaired
the rally, said most of the equipment used in the spraying
of cocoa farms had broken down and appealed to the
government to provide new ones to ensure the success of the
mass cocoa spraying exercise in the area.
GNA
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