The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has reacted to claims that, it is not providing essential medical care to its contracted mass cocoa sprayers following concerns about the toxicity of agrochemicals.
This is in response to claims raised by the Ghana National Association of Cocoa Farmers regarding health complications among its members, including reports of blindness and impotence purportedly linked to prolonged exposure to agrochemicals.
COCOBOD’s Head of Public Relations, Fiifi Boafo, in an interview on Citi News said the board ensures regular medical check-ups for contracted farmers engaged in cocoa spraying.
He refuted the allegations, stressing that the Cocoa Clinic has not observed such symptoms in any of the contracted sprayers.
“We are taken aback by these complaints because they are not issues we are familiar with. For the cocoa farms’ spraying operations, COCOBOD annually employs over 57,000 individuals who assist farmers across the nation. At the conclusion of each session, besides the routine evaluation conducted by the COCOBOD Research Institute, which samples and assesses the spraying activities, we also refer some individuals to the Cocoa Clinic for examination. Hence, claims of impotency and blindness are not ailments identified by the Cocoa Clinic” he explained.
Source: Adomonline