Cocoa farmers urged to prioritize pruning to help increase crop yield

Cocoa farmers have been urged to prioritize pruning of their farms to help increase the yield of cocoa trees.Mr Niikoe Kotey, Atwima Nwabiagya Cocoa Officer, who made the call, said pruning prevented diseases, pests and parasites that affected the life and strength of cocoa trees.There is, therefore, the need for farmers to make conscious efforts to periodically undertake pruning exercises to open the farms for the trees to grow well and bear appropriate fruits.Mr Kotey made the call at a training workshop for some selected cocoa farmers at Anyinamso, near Nyinahin in the Atwima Mponua District of Ashanti.It was organized by the Atwima Nwabiagya Municipal Office of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division of COCOBOD in partnership with FEDCO Ghana Limited, a licensed Cocoa Buying company in the area.It was aimed at equipping the farmers with the requisite skills to remove the unwanted branches and other parts of cocoa trees, for increased crop yields on their farms.Mr Kotey said appropriate and tim ely pruning of trees helped in increased beans production, high profit and improve livelihood for the farmer.He charged the farmers to practice what they had learnt and teach their colleagues who did not attend the training session.Similar training sessions were held for farmers at Nweneso in the Amansei West District.Source: Ghana News Agency