Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) informed that an increase in cocoa price is expected in the coming months this year.
Mr. Joseph Boahene-Aidoo (Chief Executive Officer of Cocobod) said, since the cocoa sector was the backbone of Ghana’s economy, which helped ensure the stability of their currency, Cocobod and the government have made bold decisions that will strengthen the welfare of the 1.2 million Cocoa farmers in Ghana.
He said that part of the effort was to ensure cocoa farmers to enjoy the fruits of their labour. Ghana now decides and dictates the price of cocoa. Therefore, farmers need to expand their acreage and adopt cultural practices on their farms to harvest at least 20 bags per acre.
He told farmers that the government had sourced a-200-million dollar fund from the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) in South Africa to deal with the swollen shoot disease, widespread in the Wassa-Akropong and Dunkwa Districts. They would cut the diseased trees for replanting through extension officers and employed youth in the area.
Mr. Joseph Boahene-Aidoo stated that farmers were not harvesting up to 1,000 pods on their cocoa trees. He announced that the government had set aside an incentive package for farmers who observed correct cultural practices to increase productivity.
