The Kookoo Pa Farmers Association, a cocoa farmers group, is embarking on a program to create extra income for cocoa farmers.

The 7,000 members of the Association will be trained and provided with high quality, fast growing plantain and cassava seedlings to complement the cultivation of the seasonal cash crop.

This is expected to benefit the individual farmers to generate additional income and enhance food security.

According to Project Coordinator of the Association, Fred Amponsah, the program is under the Cocoa Livelihood Project, which entails food security and gender development programs.

He was speaking at the 3^rd Annual General Meeting of Kookoo Pa Farmers Association at Atwima Nwabiagya District in the Ashanti region.

Mr. Amponsah says the Association is committed to producing high quality cocoa beans to meet national production targets.

“Quality starts from planting to bagging, so we are training our farmers on how to produce using good agricultural practices; when this is ensured our income will increase to benefit all,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Association has received 104,000 euros in fair-trade premium from international trader and processor, Transmar Group.

Kookoo Pa produced 5,077 metric tonnes of cocoa seedlings to the Transmar group in 2014/2015 cocoa seasons.

Project Manager for Transmar Ghana, Alexander Gyedu says the amount is to help farmers improve upon the quality and quantity of cocoa produced.

The Association has established agro-chemical shops in farming communities to help farmers access quality fertilizers at affordable prices.