Cocoa farmers schooled in child labour abuse

Vane, Aug 29, GNA - Farmers in the country have been asked to avoid using workforce that does not commensurate with the physique and stature of children, on cocoa farms.

Mr William Mintah Wiafe, Volta Regional Manager of Cocoa Swollen Shoot Viral Disease Control Unit, who made the request, said government and its development partners frowned at excessive exploitation of child labour and hazardous work by children.

He was addressing cocoa farmers from Vane, Amedzofe, Biakpa, Gbadzeme and Fume in the Ho Municipality, at Vane.

Mr Wiafe appealed to farmers to adhere to permissible limits of children’s contributions to the cocoa industry.

He said inasmuch as it was imperative to transfer farming knowledge and skills to young people, there was also the need for parents to ensure the education and welfare of their children.

Mr Wiafe advised farmers to cut down cocoa trees attacked by diseases including swollen shoot, mistletoe and blackpod.

He gave the assurance that government would pay compensation of GHc 1,843 per hectare to farmers, who would destroy their diseased cocoa tress.

Mr Wiafe said government would assist farmers to replant old farms with hi-tech and drought resistant cocoa seedlings, give them bonuses and scholarships for their children, to motivate farmers to increase production.

Mr Faisal Kure, Ho District Cocoa Officer, called on Ghanaians to ensure strict enforcement of legislations such as the Children’s ACT (ACT 560 of 1998) and Labour ACT (ACT 651 2005) to guarantee the education, health, safety and development of children.

He said working with agro-chemicals and unprotected clothing, harvesting over-head cocoa pods and use of noisy or dangerous equipment constituted impermissible work by children on cocoa farms.

Mr Kure, however, explained that children could engage in light work such as breaking of cocoa pods, fetching of water and filling of cocoa bags with the produce.

He said studies indicated that children who engaged in child labour on cocoa farms suffered from chest pains, snake bites, spinal deformities, hip and joint problems and other dropped out of school.

Mr Augustine Essien, a representative of Quality Control Division of Ghana Cocoa Board, announced that the Region, this year, produced about 47,048 bags of cocoa as against the previous figure of 8,447 bags.

He called on farmers to adhere strictly to the recommended agronomic practices, especially six days fermentation and drying of cocoa beans on the seventh day, to maintain the country’s quality premium acknowledged globally.

Mr Essien asked the public to volunteer information that could lead to the arrest of cocoa smugglers.

Mr Daniel Tetteh, Officer in-charge of Saviefe-Agorkpo Seed Production Unit, said the Unit would next year nurse hybrid cocoa seedlings for farmers at subsidised price.

Okusie Akyem Foli, Senior Divisional Chief of Avatime, called for frequent sensitization programmes for cocoa farmers so that they could embrace agronomic practices to boost production.