COCOBOD, GOVERNMENT REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO COCOA FARMERS

Date: 07th November 2024

The Chief Executive of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Hon Joseph Boahen Aidoo, has affirmed the resolve of the government to improve the lives of cocoa farmers in the country, recognising the pivotal role they play in the nation’s economy and global cocoa production efforts.

According to him, the Government of Ghana has since 2017 introduced and implemented several policy innovations and interventions that have improved the lives of cocoa farmers across the country.

He said policies like hand pollination, cocoa farm rehabilitation, pruning and other on-farm services have, over the past 7 years, supported and enhanced the livelihoods of farmers and ensured the sustainable growth of the cocoa industry.

Hon. Boahen Aidoo observed that notwithstanding the global market and weather challenges coupled with the deadly swollen shoot virus diseases, which had ravaged several thousands of hectares of cocoa farms, cocoa farmers have enjoyed relatively better conditions under the current regime.

Speaking at the 2024 Cocoa Festival of Brong Ahafo Women Cooperative Cocoa Farmers and Marketing Central Union (BAWCOF) held at Goaso in the Brong Ahafo Region, the COCOBOD CE commended the women farmers for their remarkable contribution over the years to the cocoa industry. 

He noted that whilst recognising the dedication, strength, resilience and passion of women in the sector, it was important to align them with the development of the youth in agriculture to propel the industry to a higher notch.

Acknowledging the importance of cooperatives in the cocoa industry, Hon Aidoo noted that the NPP administration revived cocoa farmer cooperatives as part of its transformational agenda for the sector and added that currently, there are about 8,696 functional farmer groups and cooperatives with a membership of about 583,660 farmers out of which 202,834, representing 34.76% are women.  

“The formation of the cooperatives has been of tremendous benefit in terms of efficiency and effectiveness to the members, men and women alike, and to the industry at large, facilitating the delivery of inputs and services, and the sharing of new ideas and appropriate agronomic practices, experiences, skills, and support for one another”, he emphasised. 

The COCOBOD CE disclosed further that 74,813 farms, covering 67,385.43 hectares, which were affected by the cocoa swollen shoot virus disease, had been rehabilitated and were in various stages of growth.

He again revealed that 44,480 farms, approximately 40,150.40 hectares owned by 28,510 farmers, were yielding as of August 2024 and would soon be handed over to the farm owners.  

He said through the period of the rehabilitation, COCOBOD provided stipends of GH¢1,000 per hectare each to affected farmers with funding from the African Development Bank as a means of supporting farmers whilst also providing free seedlings and plantain suckers to the beneficiary farmers.

The Chairperson of BAWCOF, Mrs Martha Addai, emphasised the cooperative’s commitment to its members' financial well-being, stressing that achieving that goal requires the establishment of a credit union to mobilise savings to support the association’s projects and programmes. 

Whilst commending the management of COCOBOD for their support, Ms Addai appealed for assistance from the union in soap making, bead making, and handmade chocolate, among others, as alternate sources of income for members and, by extension, the association.

The Administrator at the Sunyani Office of COCOBOD, Mr Michael P.K Asumanu, said the formation of the cooperatives had tremendously benefitted women cocoa farmers in the region in terms of access to inputs and other services.

Meanwhile, BAWCOF is a union made up of over 7,000 women engaged in cocoa farming and other activities along the cocoa value chain. With a total cultivation size of 6,857.82 hectares and an average annual production of 82,923 bags, BAWCOF serves as a trailblazer of women empowerment in the cocoa sector, providing leadership and guidance to women engaged in cocoa farming in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The cooperative launched its annual Cocoa Festival in 2023 as a way to take stock of its activities, celebrate achievements and promote fellowship and loyalty among members of the union. This year’s ceremony was held under the theme “Growing a Gender-Equal Future: Empowering Women and Youth in Agriculture”.