The Chairman of the Volta Region chapter of the Coconut Farmers Association, Togbe Dunenyo I, has called on the government to set up coconut seedling banks in his jurisdiction.

He explained that this would help resolve the delays in seedling supply to farmers, alleviate their hardships, and lower the costs associated with the coconut seedling distribution programme.

“Setting up a coconut seedling bank in the region will cut off the cost of transportation and the stress that the seedlings go through from the Western region before getting to the Volta region,” he said in a communiqué copied to Myjoyonline.com.

He added that, when properly implemented, this initiative, combined with the provision of fertiliser and other farm inputs, would increase public interest in coconut farming and encourage cultivation in the area.

Togbe Dunenyo I said he had received numerous complaints from coconut farmers about delays in seedling distribution, despite having prepared their lands long ago.

He noted that some farmers had taken loans for cultivation and feared they might struggle to repay these loans, with interest, due to government delays.

“Coconut farmers are crying daily that they have gone to take loans to buy lands and clear their lands and till date they have not received any coconut seedlings and their lands have all become forest again,” he said.

He urged the government to treat this request with urgency, emphasising that June is the optimal time for planting in the region, as it is the rainy season.

“It's raining heavily in the Volta region so this is the best time for farmers to plant the seedlings,” he stressed.

He also encouraged youth and women to participate in coconut farming, and lauded a recent seminar organised by the Tree Crops Authority, which has motivated many farmers in the Volta Region.

He hopes it will influence the youth to develop an interest in coconut cultivation.