Dr. Ransford Anertey Abbey, the Chief Executive of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), reassured cocoa farmers of the board’s unwavering commitment to enhancing their living standards despite current challenges in the industry. During his inaugural visit to the Western North Region, he addressed farmers at a rally in Attronso, Sefwi Bekwai District, and revealed plans to revise the producer price of cocoa for the 2025/2026 season. This move aims to demonstrate the government’s dedication to improving farmers’ livelihoods and attracting younger generations to cocoa farming.
Despite financial constraints, Dr. Abbey emphasized COCOBOD’s resolve to offer competitive prices for cocoa. He expressed concern over the aging farmer population, highlighting it as a threat to the industry’s sustainability. To combat this, he stressed the need for modernization and innovation to attract younger people to agriculture.
“We are collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture to modernize cocoa farming,” he said, noting plans to introduce advanced tools and equipment to make the sector more appealing to youth.
Addressing climate change concerns, Dr. Abbey announced initiatives to prioritize irrigation systems to counter erratic rainfall. He encouraged farmers to form cooperatives, which would facilitate effective implementation of irrigation projects.
“Implementing irrigation for individual farmers is costly, especially due to water source challenges posed by illegal mining (galamsey). Cooperative farming is our best approach,” he explained.
Dr. Abbey also highlighted efforts to amend laws protecting cocoa trees to safeguard Ghana’s cocoa industry from environmental threats. He emphasized the importance of engaging all relevant stakeholders to create robust legal protections for crop security.
“Cocoa farming is a generational asset; it’s crucial to have laws that protect cocoa trees from the destruction by galamsey activities,” he stated.
He assured timely supply of essential fertilizers and agrochemicals to farmers and urged collective efforts to prevent diversion of these key resources.
“These inputs involve substantial investment to ease farmers’ burdens. I will ensure accountability for any misconduct related to their diversion,” he said.
Dr. Abbey called for unity among stakeholders in the cocoa value chain to support his administration’s efforts in revitalizing and sustaining the sector. His visit was accompanied by COCOBOD management members.
Source: https://citinewsroom.com
