2006年VOA标准英语-Ghana Battles Cocoa Virus

By Efam Dovi
Accra
26 October 2006 

plantation1 in Ghana " src="/upimg/allimg/070505/1339320.jpg" width="170" border="0" /> Cocoa trees in a plantation in Ghana

Ghana is battling with the spread of a cocoa virus that has been diminishing yields, according to agricultural experts. The West African nation is the second-largest exporter of cocoa - the main ingredient in chocolate. A new variety of cocoa plant, developed in Ghana, offers hope to reduce the ill effects of the virus.

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The so-called swollen-shoot virus is a major problem affecting cocoa production in Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria and Ivory Coast.

In Ghana, an estimated 200 million cocoa trees have been destroyed by the disease in the last 50 years.

But a new cocoa plant breed, developed by Ghana's Cocoa Research Institute, is proving to be tolerant to the disease.

Kweku Abeka-Ewusi, the technical manager of the swollen-shoot virus control unit - a division of Ghana's cocoa industry regulatory body, Cocobod, says the new breed is welcomed by the farmers.

"There are two major factors which make the farmers like it - first is that it is early bearing. It takes a minimum of two years to come into fruition. It is also high yielding, with the old varieties, it will take between five to six years," he explained.

A recent survey by the Ghana Cocoa Research Institute revealed that between five to ten percent of the country's cocoa tree stock is infected with the disease. It has also spread to almost all the regions of the country, including the western region, where more than 50 percent of the country's cocoa is produced.

Abeka-Ewusi says efforts to combat the disease have been difficult and costly². He says the use of agro-chemicals to treat the virus has not been successful.

"The only effective method now is to uproot³ the infected tree with their contact trees," he said. "We suspect that those in contact may be harboring the disease, latent infections, we normally go over every six months to ensure that even if they harbor the disease and they are showing we retreat them, so the effort is to cut it and replant with the approved material."

Two major projects, undertaken in Ghana between 1995 and 2005, have helped to treat 64 percent of diseased farms, 82 percent of which have been rehabilitated⁴ with the new breed.

Ghana's cocoa exports for the 2005/2006 season exceeded the projected figure of 550,000 metric tons by almost 40 percent.

Experts now believe this solution could soon be applied⁵ in other West African cocoa producing countries.

1 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 uproot   

v.连根拔起，拔除；根除，灭绝；赶出家园，被迫移开

参考例句：

• The family decided to uproot themselves and emigrate to Australia.他们全家决定离开故土，移居澳大利亚。
• The trunk of an elephant is powerful enough to uproot trees.大象的长鼻强壮得足以将树木连根拔起。

4 rehabilitated   

改造（罪犯等）( rehabilitate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使恢复正常生活； 使恢复原状； 修复

参考例句：

• He has been rehabilitated in public esteem. 公众已恢复对他的敬重。
• Young persons need to be, wherever possible, rehabilitated rather than punished. 未成年人需要受到尽可能的矫正而不是惩罚。

5 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。