Mondelez International supports cocoa farmers with inputs

Mondelez International through the Cocoalife programme has donated farm inputs worth GHC240,000.00 to the Suhum Kraboa Coltar Cooperative Cocoa Farmers Union.

The inputs, which included spraying machine, motorized sprayers and pruners, chemicals, helmets, Wellington boots and goggles, are to help enhance the work of the farmers in the Union.

The inputs are supposed to benefit over 2000 cocoa farmers in the 41 societies under the Union.

The donation also formed part of activities to mark the 10th anniversary of the Cocoalife programme across the country.

Cocoalife is a sustainability project by Mondelez international, one of the largest cocoa buyer and producer of chocolate in the world.

The aim of the project is to ensure that, cocoa farmer, their children and the communities, thrive to sustain quality production of cocoa in Ghana.

The Country Lead of Mondelez International Cocoalife Programme, Mrs Yaa Peprah Amekudzi who made the donation, said it was also to motivate the farmers and help in the improvement of their farms to help increase their yields.

She said time has come for modern technology to be used in Cocoa farming, because that was the surest way to ensure its sustainability and development for the needed benefits to be derived.

Mrs Amekudzi explained that Cocoalife over the past 10 years ensured that farmers increased their production and strengthen the cooperative unions, which were rapidly initiating development projects in their various communities.

She said the Cocoalife project started with 100 cocoa farming communities from seven districts across the country, however, the communities had increased to 447 from 15 districts nationwide.

The President of the Suhum- Kraboa- Coltar Cooperative Cocoa Farmers Union, Mr Francis Teinor thanked the Cocoalife programme for the enormous contribution and support they had brought into the lives of cocoa farmers.

He appealed to Government to support cocoa growing areas with the needed infrastructural and developmental projects, to serve as motivation for the youth to stay in the rural communities rather than migrate to the urban cities.

As part of the donation, the team from Mondelez International CocoaLife programme and the Suhum Cooperative Union inspected a three unit classroom block for the Ayisikrom community, one of the Cocoalife beneficiary communities.

The project, an initiative of the Suhum Cooperative Union, cost GHC 50,000.00, and supported by Mondelez International through the Cocoalife programme.

The project when completed is expected to serve close to 200 Junior High School pupils in the area.