Ghana has for the past few days now been having good news about Apple fruits growing in the country.
Our climate and
soil consumption is believed to be a hindrance to the survival of an apple tree.
However, Ghanaians became hopeful after news of an apple tree bearing apple
fruits in Wiamose in the Ashanti Region are ripe for harvest.
This brought
high hopes that apples can be cultivated in the country. But it later turned
out to be fig tree after horticulturalists took samples to the laboratory for
testing.
But Yaw Antwi
Boadu says the fact that the Wiamoase discovery turned out to be a hoax is not
an affirmation that apple trees and fruits cannot survive in Ghana.
Yaw Boadu who has planted varieties of crops including an apple tree in his garden noted that this paradise apple tree he’s planted for almost three years should be ready for consumption by next month.
He told the news
team that toured his fruit garden that “I think anything is possible once you
set your mind to it…with this prove it shows that it is possible and can be
done”.
Revealing his
secret on how this ‘wonder’ apple tree is still surviving despite the
preconceived ideas Ghanaians have on planting apples, he indicated that Ghana’s
very own loamy soil coupled with animal droppings as manure for his plant is
doing the magic for him.
Mr. Boadu also
admitted that all has not been rosy since he decided to start farming at home
as part of his hobby.
Narrating his ordeal to the news team who toured his farm Thursday, May 21, 2020, he professed that, the first batch of seedlings he planted died due to pest attack and not enough manure to sustain it.
He
told GhanaWeb that “I started in 2017, I brought the first set of seedlings
into the country, I planted, they all died. The manure that I put in the hole
had not decomposed enough then so they all died. Then I brought another set,
those set survived. Two of them started fruiting but they also died. I’m sure
some pests of insects attacked them but this is the only one that is left now
and this is the first fruit on it”.
“I
do it for fun. I have an app to just identify fruits or plants that I have…we
can take a picture of the leaf or fruit and it will show you what it is. So
that will give you that confidence…”
Mr Boadu is yet to contact experts to get his apple tree tested and affirmed.
No comments