Association improves cocoa farmers' conditions

Accra, Sept. 28, GNA - The Cocoa Abrabopa Association (CAA), a cocoa farmer-based association, is facilitating positive changes in the lives of cocoa farmers, the Chairman of the Council of the Association, Mr Issah Mustafa, has announced.

An official statement from the Association in Accra on Tuesday said Mr Mustafa was speaking at the 2nd Annual General Meeting of the Cocoa Abrabopa Association held at Obuasi. Mr Mustafa said significant changes were taking place both locally and internationally to improve incomes, livelihoods and standard of living of cocoa farmers, which the Association had facilitated. On the certification of cocoa farmers, Mr Mustafa stated that the Association was the first in Ghana to be awarded certificates by two renowned International Cocoa Standardization bodies - UTZ Certified and RainForest Alliance in December 2009.

The statement said cocoa farmers in the certification programme had continued to enjoy the benefits that came with it. The Executive Secretary of the Association, Mr Eliseus Opoku Boamah, said through certification, the farmers had enjoyed improved agricultural practices, high quality cocoa beans, higher income in terms of extra premiums, increased traceability and transparency at the buying points and technical assistance from the Association He said that at the national level, the certification would reduce poverty in the rural areas, enhance Ghana's strategy of producing sustainable cocoa beans that met international Minimum Residue Levels (MRLs) as well as reduction of deforestation and other circumstances of environmental degradation. The certification programme started with 600 members in 2009. "As an act of good faith and commitment towards the hardworking certified cocoa farmer of the association, each certified farmer will, therefore, earn GH¢10 extra per bag as their reward for the 2009/10 cocoa season with expectation of the reward going up in 2010/2011. Membership of the certified farmers is expected to increase to over 4,000 as of October, 2010," the statement said. Mr Opoku-Boamah also touched on the Cocoa Abrabopa Pension Scheme, a scheme designed for members of the Association within a social security framework to make cocoa farming attractive to the youth, provide security and a long term retirement for the farmers, as well as encourage and develop the culture of savings among cocoa farmers. The Annual General Meeting attracted more than 10, 000 farmers of the Association from all cocoa growing areas in the country. The meeting also considered the Audited Accounts for the year 2009, together with the Reports of the Council and Auditors. Cocoa Abrabopa Association is a cocoa farmer based association, established in January, 2008, after the package of input application and farm management practices that were developed and recommended by the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG).