COCOA PRODUCTION NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR DEFORESTATION - COCOBOD BOSS ASSERTS

Date: 21st May 2024

The Chief Executive of COCOBOD Hon Joseph Boahen Aidoo has convincingly argued that cocoa can play a pivotal role in agroforestry, fostering enhanced carbon sequestration. 

According to him, cocoa production contributes significantly in helping to mitigate the impact of climate change and its effects on the environment. 

This stands in sharp contrast to the widely held assertions that the cultivation of cocoa leads to deforestation and contributes to adverse effects on climate change.

“Contrary to the long-held notion that cocoa is a major driver of deforestation, the experience in Ghana projects cocoa as a great measure in climate mitigation and environmental adaption” He noted

Delivering a presentation on the topic: “African Approach to addressing Global Warming and Climate Change” at the 2024 International Federation of Geoscientists (FIG) Working Week, which is currently underway at the La Palm Beach Hotel in Accra, Hon. Aidoo also affirmed that the introduction of numerous Productivity Enhancement Programmes (PEPs) and Vertical Productivity  in the cocoa sector has not only led to sustainable cocoa production but has also helped in addressing issues of deforestation.

According to him, huge investments made in policies such as rehabilitation, pruning, hand pollination, climate-smart and regenerative farming in the last seven years have ultimately helped in promoting cocoa sustainable farming practices with priority on environmental conservation and provision of social safety nets to support the wellbeing of farmers and local communities.

Hon. Boahen Aidoo said the main objective of COCOBOD was to economize the use of land through ‘vertical’, rather than ‘lateral’ production of cocoa and this according to him, has contributed to the preservation of forest lands.

Aside the impact of the PEPs initiatives, the COCOBOD Chief Executive further espoused the natural and scientific benefits of cocoa trees to the ecosystem, explaining that cocoa is the unsung mollifier in climate change because cocoa as a woody plant performs a major function in carbon sequestration by absorbing carbon dioxide directly from the air, thereby reducing the emission of gas into the environment.

Hon. Boahen Aidoo however emphasized that despite the successes achieved in sustainable cocoa production, activities such as illegal mining, climate change, price volatility and unjust market order, as well as cocoa swollen shoots virus disease continue to pose major challenges to the country’s cocoa industry.

Touching on long term solution, the COCOBOD Chief Executive emphasized the need for a global action demands cutting down on anthropogenic activities, i.e., the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, and adaptation of more efficient, effective, responsible and resilient production systems. 

The annual FIG Conference draws participants from around the world. It brings experts from all the different areas of surveying – interpreted in the broadest sense including land surveyors, geospatial experts, valuers, quantity surveyors, hydrography surveyors etc, together to enhance the cooperation and understanding of each other’s fields.