Form cooperatives – Govt to all cocoa farmers

Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto has encouraged all cocoa farmers in Ghana to form cooperatives.

Currently, he said, more than 3000 farmer groups across the country have registered with the Department of Cooperatives and are working closely with the Cocoa Diseases and Pest Control Programme (CODAPEC) /Hitech Unit as well as officers of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) in the districts to promote effective and quality services that will help increase productivity and sustain the cocoa industry.

Speaking at the launch of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) $600m syndicated loan facility on 23rd June 2020, Dr Afriyie Akoto said : “We are also highly focused on increasing domestic processing and warehousing facilities to stimulate local consumption. The price volatility of cocoa on the world market requires us to, among other interventions, increase our domestic processing and consumption. The President is keen on the consumption drive with numerous calls on all Ghanaians to cultivate the habit of consuming cocoa daily.

“Amidst the current Corona Virus pandemic, I strongly believe that increased intake of cocoa with high concentration of flavanols and its associated components will help significantly in fighting the disease, which has caused serious devastation the world over.”

“In our effort to ensure the provision of quality extension services and give equally farmers equal access to all our interventions, we have rolled out a Cocoa Management System (CMS) which will enable us have adequate and accurate data of our farmers/farms, Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) Input suppliers and other players on the cocoa value chain.

“ A full implementation of the CMS will not only give farmers easy access to farm inputs but also make it easier for them to access funding from the local financial market for their operations.

“We have also encouraged farmers to form cooperatives. Currently, more than 3000 farmer groups across the country have registered with the Department of Cooperatives and are working closely with the CODAPEC/Hitech Unit as well as officers of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) in the districts to promote effective and quality services that will help increase productivity and sustain the cocoa industry.”