Government support can lessen our burden – Cocoa farmer

Ghanaian cocoa farmer, Adwoa Duku, has called for government’s support for cocoa farmers in the country to help lessen their burden.

The 53-year-old cocoa farmer who has been growing the cash crop for over twenty-six years noted that cocoa farming is really not easy when you consider all the processes involved.

In an interview with Happy FM’s Don Prah on the ‘Epa Hoa Daben’ show, she expressed: “Cocoa farming is hard but if you do it well, it helps you so anyone who is involved should put in more efforts. And I also plead with our leaders to turn their attention to cocoa farmers who are involved in this hard labour. This is because a little support from them can lessen the burden on cocoa farmers”.

Meanwhile, Adwoa Duku has shared that the cocoa farming field yields more profit despite the difficulty involved.

The cocoa sector faces a number of challenges. A large portion of cocoa farmers are affected by poverty, and child labour remains a prevailing issue. In addition, cocoa is often produced at the expense of the environment.

Most of the cocoa farming families live in extreme poverty. In Ghana for instance, it is estimated that the income gap is about 50% of the living income benchmark value with cocoa production contributing to about two thirds of farmers’ income.

Cocoa production is also threatened by ageing plantations, poor farm management, soil degradation and increasing pest and disease pressure. To increase production and meet demand, cocoa producers often rely on the clearing of additional forest land, which have now suffered from galamsey.