By Benjamin Akoto
Wawasua (B/R), Feb. 16, GNA – Mr Michael Asumanu, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) Administrator in Sunyani, has urged cocoa farmers and the public to increase their consumption of cocoa products to boost their health and enhance cocoa production.
According to him, the increase in consumption of cocoa products resulted in greater demand for cocoa beans to be processed into different products to benefit the farmers directly.
Mr Asumanu gave the advice when he was speaking in an interview with the media on the sidelines of a health screening event at Wawasua in the Sunyani Municipality as part of activities for this year’s chocolate week celebration.
It was organised by COCOBOD with health personnel from the Seventh-Day Adventist Hospital (SDA), Fiapre in the Sunyani West Municipality for approximately 150 cocoa farmers in the Wawasua community and its environs.
The beneficiaries underwent tests to assess their blood pressure and sugar levels, body mass index and eye health.
Mr Asumanu emphasised many of those farmers did not have the time to visit hospitals because of the demanding nature of their work, hence, it was crucial to bring healthcare services closer to them.
He announced the provision of free medication for participants had been considered as part of a long-term project to alleviate farmers who would participate in those screening exercises of the financial burden to buy medication.
Mr. Asumanu however added that the focus in the immediate term was on identifying individuals with diabetes and hypertension diseases, assessment of their sugar levels and referring them for further treatment at health facilities.
In a interview, Mr Kwame Adu Twum, a Nutrition Officer at the SDA Hospital said through the screening, it was realized some farmers were suffering from high blood pressure and high sugar levels which had not been treated.
He said that negligence could potentially lead to severe complications to pose a significant threat to their overall well-being.
Mr Twum expressed commendation for the unusual and unexpected high number of men participation in the screening programme, but, expressed concern regarding the limited involvement of the youth.
He stated recent studies and surveys had revealed that the younger generation was also falling into the category of individuals with hypertension and high blood sugar levels.
Against that background, Mr Twum stressed the need for regular check-ups by the youth and farmers and urged them to prioritize issues about their state of health by seeking medical attention to significantly improve the quality of their lives.
A beneficiary, Mr Kwaku Wenuwuo, a 97-year-old cocoa farmer from Kurosua Number 1, expressed his gratitude to COCOBOD for that remarkable initiative and appealed for more events of that nature to be organised for cocoa farmers nationwide.
GNA