Agricom.id, GORONTALO –Not only the men, to protect the health, cocoa needs the protection wrap. At least, it was done by Regu Pengendali Organisme (RPO) of Weeds of Gotong Royong, Gorontalo Province to protect cocoa from the disturbing plantation organism (DPO). The wrap to protect the material of chocolate is to protect it from the pests which eat the cocoa fruit.

What RPO Gotong Royong has done is the same with what Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL) told that every officer in ministry of agriculture and the farmer should boost the agricultural productivity, including the plantation to have the better quality which could have additional values and compete in the international markets.

According to the coordinator of RPO Gotong Royong, Slamet, the wrap to cocoa fruit should be done though it is in Covid-19 pandemic still. Of course, they implement the health protocol too.  “In the pandemic, we should keep doing the best. Not only man needs health, right? The DPO should be eliminated too. If it is let develop, the cocoa would be dead. This would be the issue for our health,” he said, as in the official statement to Agricom.id, Monday (21/9/2020).

The development team of cocoa farmers, Gusti told that the DPO which mostly attacks the area is called penggerek buah kakao (PBK). His side put the wrap to the cocoa fruit. “If it is not controlled, the larva could make the seeds of cocoa attach one to another and the quality of the fruit would decrease up to 70%. We do ‘the wrapping’ to make sure that the caterpillar could not eat the fruit. We should use masker, and the cocoa needs wrap as the masker too,” he said.

The wrapping should be done when the fruit is in the early age, the nipple should not be more than 8 cm, within simple tools, such as, the rubber bracelet, pipe, and the plastic. The wrapping could prevent the imago of pests that eat cocoa fruit to lay eggs in the skin of the cocoa fruit and the larva could not eat everything inside the fruit. The edges of the plastic should have holes so that air could flow and would not be moist.

He thought that the method is one component to control the integrated pest. It is environmental because it would not leave the chemical residue, resurgence, pest resistance, and easy to apply. The plastic could be used for the next seasons.

By wrapping the cocoa fruit, he continued, one hectare could produce more than 1 ton of cocoa. It is good to sell, about Rp 38.000 for the fermented cocoa, and Rp 20.000 for non-fermented one.

He did hope that the cooperation with the government would keep running and increase to develop the farmers’ independency. Within the cooperation spirit, it could control the health of cocoa and human in the same time. (A2)