The students in a pose with a young cocoa farmer from Assin Sienchem and six of their faculty members.
About 17 students from the Milton Hershey School in Pennsylvania, USA have commenced a week-long study of processes involved in the cultivation of cocoa at Assin Sienchem.
Assin Sienchem is a major cocoa-growing town in the Central Region.
The Milton Hershey School is a subsidiary of the Hershey Company, a US-based chocolate producing firm which has partnership with the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
Their trip is a follow-up to a visit to the country by senior faculty members of the school and officials of the Hershey Company earlier this year.
As part of the weeklong learning experience in the community, the students are expected to be taken through the processes involved in the cultivation of cocoa, including pest and disease control by the locals and officials of COCOBOD.
They are to assist the farmers to plant some cocoa trees.
Addressing the students on Friday at a farmers’ rally held at Assin Sienchem, Dr. Eugene Ofori Gyamfi, Central Regional Manager of Cocoa Health and Extension Division, explained that cocoa production was very labour intensive.
He urged them to learn all the processes of cultivation of cocoa so that they can really appreciate what cocoa farmers go through.
Senior Director of Home Life Programs and Student Safety, Milton Hershey School, Tim Wasielewski, who is leading the delegation, told the media that two years ago, his outfit formed a partnership with COCOBOD and the Hershey Company.
The partnership, he said, was to enable students from the Milton Hershey School visit cocoa growing regions in Ghana periodically to learn about the cocoa industry with the help of the COCOBOD.
He said as part of the ‘tracing the origin of chocolate’ tour, the students have already visited the Port of Tema to understand how the shipping of cocoa exploits is done and also to study the quality control processes involved in exporting cocoa.
Cocoa is a key raw material for the production of chocolate but Mr. Wasielewski explained that not many people in the West know what cocoa is or how it is produced.
Touching on the importance of the educational and service trip, Mr. Wasielewski explained that “one of the things that is very important to us is to provide our students with a cultural educational experience where they can learn from other cultures, also provide service and give back to strengthen their character and their work ethic.”
He was optimistic that the visit will as well enable the students to study the Ghanaian culture and help to improve their global understanding.
BY Melvin Tarlue