The Central Regional Director of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Mr Samuel Addo Agyakwa, has reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to implementing policies and programmes aimed at strengthening Ghana’s cocoa sector and ensuring that farmers and the nation derive maximum benefits from the industry.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the Swedruman Council of Chiefs to officially introduce himself as the new Central Regional Director, Mr Addo Agyakwa said the Government remained focused on revitalising the cocoa industry, which continues to serve as a key pillar of the national economy.
He announced that the Government had recently released funds to facilitate payments for cocoa beans purchased from farmers and urged cocoa growers who were yet to receive payment to demand it from purchasing clerks (PCs) and officials of Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs).
On cocoa pricing, Mr Addo Agyakwa clarified that farmers who sold their produce before the announcement of the recent producer price reduction should be paid the previous producer price of GH¢3,500 per bag.
He explained that the reduction in producer prices was driven by declining international cocoa prices and was not intended to disadvantage farmers, contrary to perceptions held by some producers.
The Regional Director expressed concern over reports that some purchasing clerks and Licensed Buying Company officials were exploiting the situation by manipulating cocoa prices. He urged affected farmers to report such practices to the COCOBOD office in Agona Swedru for prompt action.
Mr Addo Agyakwa also outlined measures being implemented by the Government to rehabilitate ageing cocoa farms as part of efforts to increase productivity in the Central Region.
Describing cocoa as the backbone of Ghana’s economy, he noted that revenue from the sector had made significant contributions to national infrastructure development, healthcare delivery and educational scholarship programmes.
Addressing concerns over the supply of agrochemicals, he assured farmers that the necessary inputs would be provided, although delays occasionally occurred because of importation processes. He advised farmers to procure agrochemicals from local markets when necessary to avoid disruptions in spraying and fertiliser application.
He appealed to traditional leaders and cocoa farmers to support government initiatives to revitalise the sector, increase cocoa production, boost foreign exchange earnings and strengthen the national economy.
On the mass cocoa spraying programme, Mr Addo Agyakwa acknowledged concerns over delays in paying spraying gangs and assured stakeholders that COCOBOD would investigate the matter. He explained that payment delays were sometimes caused by the late submission of required documentation by gang leaders.
He commended the Swedruman Council of Chiefs for its continued support for the cocoa sector and pledged that COCOBOD would maintain regular engagements with traditional authorities, chief farmers and cocoa growers to explain government policies and programmes.
For his part, the Acting President of the Swedruman Council of Chiefs, Nana Kweku Esieni V, recalled that the Agona Swedru area was once among the leading cocoa-producing areas in the Central Region.
He appealed to the Government to strengthen the mass cocoa spraying programme, similar to the interventions introduced during the administration of former President John Agyekum Kufuor, which helped raise Ghana’s cocoa production to about one million tonnes.
Nana Esieni also called on COCOBOD to intensify the rehabilitation of diseased and pest-infested cocoa farms to improve productivity.
He further expressed concern that the recent reduction in producer prices had discouraged some cocoa farmers and farm labourers from maintaining their farms and appealed to the Government to review the producer price to restore confidence in the cocoa sector.
