Yaa Peprah Amekudzi and Jephthah Mensah with the 2017 cocoa farmers’ calendar
Mondelez International, one of the world’s largest snacks companies, has unveiled the 2017 cocoa farmers’ calendar aimed at helping local cocoa farmers to adopt good agricultural practices and appropriately use agro-chemicals.
The calendar is a learning tool that complements the work of cocoa extension agents who work in 446 Cocoa Life communities.
The 4th edition of the calendar, expected to be given to over 26,000 farmers, forms part of Mondelez’s Cocoa Life programme.
Yaa Peprah Amekudzi, Country Lead, Mondelez International Cocoa Life, speaking at the launch of the calendar, said with the right information and support to farmers, Ghana can improve its cocoa productivity, which is one of the drivers of the country’s economy.
She said Cocoa Life was to empower cocoa communities through the calendar.
Mrs. Amekudzi stated that with the calendar, farmers are able to follow the dates and keep track of critical activities that they need to implement in a particular month.
“We, at Mondelez International Cocoa Life Ghana programme, are happy that the calendars have, over the years, contributed positively towards achieving our goal of transforming the lives of cocoa farmers and their communities,” she said.
Jephthah Mensah, Manager of Extension and Environment, Cocoa Life, explaining how the calendar works, said there is specific information on cocoa cultivation for each month.
“We have information on nursery practice, sanitation pruning, environmental management, temporal shade management, compost production and prevention and control of Black Pod disease, among others,” he said.
Richard Fosu, a cocoa farmer in the Central region, shared his experience on how the calendar has helped him maintain good farming practices.
“I can say the information on the calendar and the support of the extension officers have contributed to my high cocoa yield this year,” he said.
Gladys Bio, a farmer in the Eastern Region, said “since I started using the calendar, I have seen great improvement in my cocoa production.”
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri