One of Ghana’s leading fertiliser manufacturer, Demeter Ghana Ltd has added on to its brands a new Polysulphate cocoa fertiliser – also known as ‘Asaase Hene’ – to boost cocoa production in the country.
Asaase Hene is a multi-nutrient sulphate cocoa fertiliser which Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) trials have shown provides an over 70 percent increase in cocoa yields.
Compared with a wide range of equivalent fertilisers, it has the lowest carbon footprint at 0.034kg CO2e/kg – less than 3 percent of Urea. Asaase Hene is suitable for all kinds of soils. It is organic, and has a prolonged nutrient release rate, with a low salinity index, making it ideal for cocoa production.
Speaking at an event to launch the product, Head of Agronomy at Demeter Ghana, Benjamin Adevu indicated that Asaase Hene fertiliser provides both macro and micro-nutrients needed for good cocoa yields.
He explained further that the fertilizer can take as long as 50 days to release nutrients for the soil and this makes it excellent for cocoa trees to produce higher yields.
Deputy Director in Charge of Agronomy at the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) Samuel Ankamah lauded Demeter Ghana for the initiative and encouraged the farmers to accept the Polysulphate fertiliser since it is organic.
Senior Research Scientist at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) Dr. Alfred Arthur, in a remark, affirmed the approval of Polysulphate by the institute.
“CRIG trials showed increased cocoa yields using ‘Asaase Hene’ versus NPK fertilisers during the trials. Our test results have shown ‘Asaase Hene’ organic fertiliser is effective for increased and healthy cocoa yields,” he noted.
Some farmers sharing their experiences after using Asaase Hene, revealed that after using the product during the last planting season, their yields increased by more than 300 percent.
Country Manager for Demeter Ghana William Hunt expressed excitement at the feat the company has marked for bringing ‘Asaase Hene’ to augment Omya Calciprill fertiliser, introduced earlier to tackle soil acidity issues faced by the cocoa farmers.
About Demeter Ghana
Demeter Ghana is one of Ghana’s primary agricultural inputs and services providers. Founded in 2014, the company has been dedicated to the agricultural development of Ghana with the sole aim to combat the problems faced by Ghanaian farmers and to close the yield gap.
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