COCOBOD RESUMES FERTILISER, INPUTS SUPPLY TO BORDER DISTRICTS

Date: 07th June 2023

The management of COCOBOD has resumed the supply of government subsidized fertilisers, agro-inputs and other support services to cocoa farmers in cocoa districts along Ghana’s borders.

The resumption of supplies effectively reverses an earlier suspension of services to those areas as part of measures taken in response to an investigative report which exposed the districts as conduits for the huge tonnes of cocoa beans which are smuggled out of Ghana to neighbouring Togo and Cote d'Ivoire. 

The Chief Executive, Hon Joseph Boahen Aidoo announced this during a meeting with representatives of Civil Society Organizations, NGOs and other stakeholders at Cocoa House in Accra.

According to the country’s cocoa regulator, smuggling has a dire impact on the country, hence the need for all stakeholders to lend their support in fighting the menace. 

Hon Aidoo however pointed out that notwithstanding the lifting of the suspension, COCOBOD would continue to critically monitor the situation and implement stringent measures to safeguard the cocoa industry.

According to him, the numerous interventions being offered to cocoa farmers in Ghana, would not yield the required benefits if the country continues to lose its produce through the actions of a few greedy Ghanaians and foreigners. 

“Even though the situation cannot be blamed entirely on farmers, there is no justification for COCOBOD to continue to invest heavily in the provision of inputs and fertilizers at highly subsidized rates if the smuggling persists”, he said.

The COCOBOD Chief said that the activities of the smugglers in affecting the volume of cocoa arriving at Ghana’s ports, compared to what was recorded within the same period during the 2021/2022 Crop Season.

"After the first quarter, we observed that the number of beans arriving at the ports started dropping. They were averaging 35,000 tones weekly but it has now declined", he lamented. 

He clarified that while Ghana's producer price is lower than the prices in neighbouring countries like Togo and Côte d'Ivoire, management does not consider smuggling as a viable solution.

On the way forward, the stakeholders admitted that though farmers cannot police the smugglers, what management requires from them is to report Purchasing Clerks, District Officers and Licenced Buying Companies who are secretly involved in the smuggling syndicate. 

The meeting also concluded with a call on Civil Society Organizations to continue to educate and sensitize farmers on the negative impacts of selling beans to smugglers and assist COCOBOD and the security agencies to foil acts of smuggling.