National Cocoa Rehabilitation Project (NCRP) gets a major boost as Kumad Global ImpactLimited and A farinick Company Limited establish the largest plantain nursery a Dadieso in the Suaman District of the Western North Region.
The two indigenous companies started work in December last year and currently employ about 900 permanent workers and hope to increase the number to about 2,000 by the end of June, this year.
Working under a Private-Public-Partnership arrangement with Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), they have introduced quality expertise in Ghana’s agricultural value chain and cocoa production, using green technology to multiply plantain suckers on a 400 acre land for the NCRP.
They have forecasted to produce over 100 million plantain suckers in two years to support the project.
These were revealed when a lead scientist for Global Impact and Afarinick, Beloved Mensah Dzomeku, briefed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of COCOBOD, Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, at the nursery last Wednesday, as part of his recent working visit to some
NCRP projects in the Western North Region.
He explained that actual production began in February this year when they transported plantain suckers from Agogo in the Ashanti Region to the site at Dadieso.
Mr Dzomeku said, propagation of the seedling was done after the suckers were planted in sawdust and covered with polythene and watered, and, that after three weeks, sprouting started.
At week four, the suckers were harvested and transplanted in polythene bags and watering continued, the scientist reported.
He said, every week, a set of plantain suckers were multiplied using the propagation chamber at 60 degrees Celsius, filled with sawdust, using solar heat and water, to generate about 32 million planting materials by September.
Mr Aidoo, for his part, also told journalists that COCOBOD needed technology to remove pests and diseases on plantain suckers, which were very key for the ongoing NCRP so that farms were freed from any attacks.
He noted that when plantain suckets were moved from old farms to new ones they carried different pests, and so, there was the need to get the critical technology from the two companies for a successful programme
The CEO said “You see that they are applying all the knowledge they have and have enough plantain suckers for the NCRP. It’s amazing that one plantain sucker can multiply over 100 seedlings, is healthy and doesn’t carry any pests or diseases. We are happy to get these suckers from the companies
Plantain provides shades for the young cocoa plant and this is the engine room for the multiplication of plantain suckers farmers are happy with this project. Indeed, we will get more plantain on our farms and at least every Ghanan will be entitled to one bunch of plantain,” he added.
Source : Ghanaian Times