In order to give cocoa producers easy access to certified input and services, a fair for farmers and agro-input dealers was hosted in the Western North Region in Bia and Juaboso.
The fair, with the topic “Securing Forest and Farms Resilience through Access to Certified Input and Services,” was organized by the SNV Netherlands Development Organization in cooperation with the Juaboso-Bia “Hot Spot Intervention Area” (HIA) management board.
To discuss ways to recognize certified goods and services, promote links, and develop service delivery models, it was intended to bring together cocoa producers, forest management service providers, and agro-input dealers.
The fair was supported by Tropenbos Ghana, a non-governmental organization, and other parties.
SNV Netherlands Development Organization’s Country Director, Ms. Barbara White Nkoala, stated that since 2015, the organization has been working on initiatives in the Juaboso and Bia areas that have improved lifestyles and contributed to sustainable cocoa production.
She highlighted that more than 2,000 smallholders had adopted improved cocoa agroforestry practices, that 2,232 farmers had received assistance to replant 1,416 hectors of overaged cocoa farms, and that more than 1,200 farmers and extension agents had received training in sound agricultural techniques.
Three million planting supplies, including native trees, plantain suckers, and hybrid cocoa seedlings, were distributed as additional interventions.
Agro inputs were necessary, according to Ms. Nkoala, to boost cocoa yield per hectare because of the crop’s high nutritional needs and the need to control pests and diseases.
