Agriculture

Government set to increase price of Cocoa this year

 

The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Ghana Cocoa Board(Cocobod), Mr Joseph Boahene Aidoo has hinted of conclusive discussions with President Nana Akufo-Addo to increase the price of Cocoa in the coming months this year.

Currently, the government buys one bag of Cocoa beans from farmers at 515.00 Ghana cedis.

The CEO said since the Cocoa sector was the backbone of Ghana’s economy which help to ensure the stability of the cedi, Cocobod and the government have taken bold decisions that will inure to the welfare of the 1.2 million Cocoa farmers in Ghana.

Mr Boahen-Aidoo said this during an engagement with Cocoa farmers at separate functions at Nsuaem No.2 and Wassa-Afransie as part of a working visit to Dunkwa-On-Offin and Wassa-Akropong Districts in the Western South Cocoa Region.

Mr Boahene-Aidoo, who is also the Nkosohene (Development Chief) of Nsuaem No.2, said as part of efforts to ensure that Cocoa farmers enjoyed the fruits of their labour, Ghana now fixes and dictates the price of Cocoa for the world, hence the need for farmers to expand their acreage and adopt sound cultural practices on their farms to harvest at least 20 bags per 1 acre.

The CEO of Cocobod 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 which was rife in the Wassa-Akropong and Dunkwa Districts by cutting the diseased trees for re-planting through extension officers and employed youth in the area.

Mr Boahene-Aidoo lamented that 60 million seedlings were given to farmers during the Mahama administration but ironically, over 200 million hectares of Cocoa went bad in the Cocoa Regions of Ghana.

It is against this backdrop that Cocobod has embarked upon regular tour and visits to cocoa farms to inspect mass pruning, advise farmers not to patronize unapproved chemicals by Cocobod on their farms, adding that about 30,000 pollinators have been employed to undertake the hand pollination exercise in all the 1.2 million Cocoa farms across the country.

Mr.Boahene Aidoo noted that farmers were not harvesting up to 1,000 pods on their Cocoa trees due to non-compliance with cultural practices.

He announced that the government has earmarked an incentive package for farmers who observed sound cultural practices to increase productivity.

 

Source: GNA

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. In addition to his media ventures, Solomon serves as a Brand Ambassador for Alabuga, a prominent Russian industrial company, representing their interests and expansion across Africa. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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