ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE COCOA SECTOR - COCOBOD CE PROJECTS A PROMISING FUTURE

Date: 16th October 2024

The Chief Executive of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Hon. Joseph Boahen Aidoo, has highlighted the significant achievements in the country’s cocoa sector over the past eight years and forecasts a positive future for cocoa farmers.

He noted that since 2017, the cocoa industry has experienced a turnaround, attributing this progress to effective initiatives and innovations.

Addressing the media at the ‘Meet-the-Press’ series organized by the Information Ministry, Hon Boahen Aidoo showcased the strides made in reviving unproductive cocoa farms, boosting production, enhancing sustainability and improving the livelihoods of cocoa farmers.

“The image of the industry today is different from that of yesteryear; for many cocoa farmers and their families who lost almost everything and were in despair, COCOBOD and this Government have given them hope and a brighter tomorrow”, he noted.  

He said, a survey conducted in 2017, revealed that the deadly Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD) had affected approximately 17% of the total national cocoa tree stock. The Western North Region, which produced 30% of the national cocoa output, had 67% of its farms devastated by this disease.

He further stated that management had implemented bold initiatives to reverse the concerning trend. As a result, over 74,813 farms covering 67,385.43 hectares, owned by 56,105 farmers, have been rehabilitated and are currently in various stages of growth.

He added that about 44,480 farms, spanning 40,150.40 hectares owned by 28,510 farmers were yielding as of August 2024 and will soon be handed over to the farm owners.

Hon Aidoo noted that the introduction and successful implementation of various Productivity Enhancement Programmes (PEPs) such as pruning, rehabilitation, hand pollination, mass spraying, provision of high-yielding, disease-resistance seedlings, as well as, the premium on poultry manure to improve manure and soil health, have resulted in increased cocoa output, enhanced sustainability and long-term economic benefits for small-holder farmers.

“Today, we have a farmer in Ghana who is producing 6.7 tonnes per hectare, what once used to be like a dream. The industry has become attractive”, he said.

He stressed that farmers who converted their cocoa farms to cashew farms in the Brong Ahafo and Ashanti Regions in 2017 are now back on their farms.

Touching on innovation, Hon Aidoo cited the introduction of a new finance model to end the country’s 32-year-long dependence on syndicated loans. The model, he indicated, is robust and flexible. 

He also spoke about the successful completion of the Cocoa Management System (CMS) and the implementation of a comprehensive integrated farmer data traceability model in line with the European Union Deforestation-free Regulation as well as other international protocols on sustainable cocoa.

He revealed that about 792,954 cocoa farmers and their entire households and other dependants have been registered into the CMS farmer database whilst 1,239.169 hectares of cocoa farms have been mapped to enable better resource allocation and improved production tracking.

The system, according to him, is being enhanced to facilitate payment processes, reduce delays, and ensure accurate, direct payments to farmers.

Hon. Boahen Aidoo also mentioned other innovative programmes such as the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System and the Sustainability and Climate-Smart Cocoa Production initiatives which he noted, have yielded significant benefits across multiple dimensions.  

On farmer income support, he said, priority attention has been placed on the welfare of cocoa farmers, citing the implementation of the Living Income Differential, payment of remunerative producer prices, and the Cocoa Farmers Pension Scheme, as some of the measures aimed at improving the financial capacity of cocoa farmers in the country.

He assured cocoa farmers that the Government will continue to pursue policies and initiatives that improve the sector and enhance their socio-economic livelihood and called on them to approach their cocoa activities with entrepreneurial motive.