Cocoa production to decline below 500,000 metric tons – NPP warns

The Minority New Patriotic Party (NPP) has predicted a huge decline in Ghana’s cocoa production in the coming years if government continues with its “misguided policies and poor implementation of projects” in that sector.

They have forecast that production of the country’s main export commodity may dip to below 500,000 metric tons from the current 900,000 metric tons if the interventions put in place by the previous government are not critically appraised.

According to the Minority Spokesperson on Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, since the attainment of the record one million metric tonnes in the 2011 crop season, there has been a consistent decline in output to figures below 900,000 metric tons in three consecutive seasons.

“At less than 700,000 metric tons, production in the current 2014/2015 crop season is one of the lowest in the past decade. This steady and consistent decline in cocoa production since 2010/2011 is a reflection of both misguided policies and poor implementation of projects pursued by the NDC administration,” he observed at a press conference held by the Minority at Goaso in the Asunafo North Constituency in the Brong Ahafo Region Tuesday.

Among the challenges militating against cocoa production in the country include the unreliable supply of inputs to farmers as a direct result of the “free” input policy adopted by the government; new brands of chemical inputs released to cocoa farmers in Ghana without adequate trials and research by designated institutions; low producer prices paid to farmers and the politicization of the mass spraying and fertilizer distribution programme.

Also, smuggling of cocoa and its subsidized inputs into neighbouring countries as a direct consequence of the input distribution system and product pricing policies of the government; the refusal of government to pay annual production bonuses to farmers; and the delay in payment for their produce even after Parliament has approved of foreign loans to Ghana Cocoa Board to produce to purchase cocoa beans from the farmers are affecting the production levels of the country’s number export commodity.

Furthermore, the Minority said failed promises by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government to provide cocoa farmers with incentives like housing, a pension and feeder roads to cocoa growing communities and the mass destruction of cocoa trees by illegal and small-scale miners (galamsey) in major cocoa-producing regions, in particular, Western and Ashanti Regions are contributing to the decline of cocoa production.

“If these measures are not addressed urgently, there is a danger that annual production could conceivably decline further in the coming years to below 500,000 metric tons – the levels of the l990’s”.

To avert this danger, the Minority said the government ought to shift its focus and continue with the policies pursued by the NPP when they were in government and which resulted in the one million metric tons of cocoa production.

Those measures, they argued, were the mass spraying exercise and hi-tech initiatives adopted by the NPP.

“With these twin projects, cocoa production more than doubled in two years – from 341,000 metric tons in 2001/2002 to 737,000 metric tons by 2003/2004; and then to one million metric tons in 2010/2011.”