CODAPEC/HI-TEC LAUNCHES MASS COCOA SPRAYING AND FERTILISER ROLLOUT FOR 2025/26 SEASON

Date: 10th April 2026

The Cocoa Disease and Pest Control and Hi-TEC division of Ghana Cocoa Board (CODAPEC/Hi-TEC) has commenced the nationwide mass spraying and fertiliser distribution campaign for the 2025/26 cocoa season.

The program aims to improve pest control, increase access to inputs for farmers, and create local employment.

The National Coordinator of the programme, Mr. Iddrisu Seidu Abu, says all the necessary technical and logistical support has been made available for the programme to take off smoothly.

In an extensive interview with COCOBOD News, Mr. Abu Seidu outlined several measures and innovations introduced to make this year’s programme a successful one.

Equipment and Staffing
According to Mr. Abu Seidu, procurement of all equipment and inputs has largely been completed, with 13,000 pneumatic sprayers and 14,000 motorised mist-blower machines acquired to replace the ageing stock. 

He stated that each machine is intended to be operated by one person, thus creating roughly 27,000 additional community-level employment opportunities and enhancing the rural economies of the people. 

On the human resource capacity, he disclosed that staff have been given the necessary training to ensure effective execution of their duties.

“The first training cycle for the campaign has started, and trained personnel will receive monthly stipends under a revised allowance scheme.” He stated

Payments and Allowances
Mr Abu Seidu further disclosed that management has increased the monthly operational allowance for mechanics and spraying teams from GH 500 cedis to GH 700 Ghana Cedis to address attrition linked to low and delayed payments.

“There was a need to address the level of labour turnover; we were losing most of our gangs to the activities of illegal mining, so management agreed to our proposal to enhance the remuneration of the spraying, loading, and off-loading gangs,” He added. 

He added that the Loading and offloading fees have also been doubled from 0.50Gp to Gh 1 cedi for loading and offloading, to address labour shortages in high-activity areas and to channel more income opportunities to local youth involved in logistics.

Health, Safety, and Inputs
The National Coordinator of CODAPEC also indicated that COCOBOD has procured 89,721 comprehensive personal protective equipment, including overalls, boots, goggles, and masks for spray teams and taskforce members to safeguard personnel handling agrochemicals.

 He said all agrochemicals would undergo inspection and lab testing before release, adding that distribution will follow a well-documented chain.

“From the regional procurement office, it is received by a district task force (which includes the district officer, police, quality control reps, and others) and allocated to communities based on identified need. Community-level task forces led by extension staff and traditional leaders finalise in-community distribution.” He explained.

Distribution Approach and Timing
He said for the first time, distribution centres were being expanded so farmers could access inputs closer to their farms, with districts hosting multiple pickup points rather than a single centralised depot. 

“Spraying is being rolled out scientifically, targeting higher-risk areas first, and the first six-week spraying round starts this month in approved districts. Fertiliser distribution (granular and liquid where applicable) is expected to begin in May.” He added