COCOBOD TO INTRODUCE MEASURES TO CHECK THE SALE OF COCOA FARMS TO ILLEGAL MINERS
The country’s cocoa regulator, Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), is set to introduce aggressive measures aimed at addressing the unfortunate phenomenon where some cocoa farmers release their farms for purposes other than cocoa production.
The Head of Public Affairs at COCOBOD, Mr Fiifi Boafo, who gave the hint at the Annual General Meeting of the Ghana CSOs Cocoa Platform (GCCP) in Accra said COCOBOD was deeply worried about the wanton destruction of viable cocoa farms, including newly rehabilitated ones, and would soon roll out a legal regime to protect cocoa farms, and investments made in rehabilitating dead farms to safeguard the industry.
The move comes amidst concerns that some farmers are continuously giving out their lands for mining and other activities, thereby denying the country the much-needed revenue from its major agricultural export commodity, cocoa.
Mr. Boafo, said the measures, would include the signing of an agreement between COCOBOD and cocoa farmers to commit the parties to certain terms and conditions with respect to the management of cocoa farms which have been rehabilitated by COCOBOD under its cocoa rehabilitation programme and handed over to farmers.
He observed that the government through COCOBOD, has spent millions of dollars through a loan facility contracted from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to revive thousands of hectares of diseased and moribund farms under its cocoa rehabilitation programme and would not sit unconcerned for the investments to go down the drain.
“There are moves to come to some understanding with farmers on how best to preserve their cocoa farms and desist from giving them out for purposes other than cocoa production”, he noted.
He further hinted that some rehabilitated farms will soon be handed over to beneficiary farmers across the seven cocoa regions. He added that before these farms are officially handed over to the beneficiaries, a concrete commitment to preserve the farms would have been reached with the beneficiaries.
He appealed to the CSOs to join forces with the government and COCOBOD to deal with the menace of illegal mining and other challenges such as smuggling to protect the country’s cocoa industry.
“The reality is that it will be in the interest of all of us to work to protect and safeguard the cocoa industry in Ghana because without cocoa there will be no COCOBOD and there will be no CSOs Cocoa Platform to engage in advocacy”, Mr. Boafo advised.
Meanwhile, aside from the on-field productivity enhancement initiatives, the country’s cocoa regulator has completed the Cocoa Management System (CMS) which has registered over 790,000 farmers.
