Renewed pledge to cocoa farmers apt
The smuggling of cocoa beans from Ghana to neighbouring countries is seriously affecting revenues accrued from the sale of the ‘brown gold’ to the state.
Consequently, the Ghana Cocoa Board has pledged to make payments to cocoa farmers the organisation's top financial priority amidst growing concerns over funding challenges in the sector.
This commitment comes at a critical time when Ghana's cocoa industry faces mounting pressure, including smuggling of the beans to neighbouring countries despite declining local production.
The new Chief Executive of the board, Dr Ransford Anertey Abbey said despite COCOBOD's inability to access international market funds this season, the organisation would prioritise payments for cocoa purchases over all other financial obligations.
This assurance, to us at the Graphic Business, is welcome news which should give our dependable cocoa farmers renewed hope and revival of their commitment to keep their produce here in Ghana instead of smuggling them out.
The assurance from the COCOBOD CEO, we are aware, aims to address mounting anxiety among farmers who are worried about potential payment delays.
The paper is also happy to note that COCOBOD intends to be extremely transparent with farmers by letting them know what the situation is at all times.
Being the backbone of the country’s economy over many decades, the Graphic Business believes that under no circumstance should the hardworking farmers be relegated to the background and treated as non-entities.
Their toil must be valued consistently just as their peers in neighbouring countries to enable them to feel deservingly special because as indicated, by prioritising farmer payments and welfare, COCOBOD would maintain its stability in the industry.
In doing so, there are successful models in Côte d'Ivoire and South American countries which can be emulated to make our system better and more attractive.
Developing incentives to encourage collaboration with potential large-scale cocoa farming investors, while maintaining support for the country's existing small-scale farmers who have been the backbone of Ghana's cocoa industry for generations, is also crucial to change the present narrative which does not favour farmers.
We wish to bring to the attention of the new boss of the board the fact that, despite the interventions, there is still the need to keep a close eye on their activities to ensure that some unscrupulous persons from outside the shores of the country do not pollute their minds to continue with the smuggling.
It is against this background that we also commend Dr Abbey who has indicated that in tackling the persistent challenge of smuggling, COCOBOD has initiated a move to collaborate with National Security aparatus to assemble a dedicated team to craft comprehensive anti-smuggling strategies.
This coordinated approach signals a more aggressive stance against the illegal trade that has plagued the industry.
The Graphic Business would also entreat the new face of COCOBOD to take cognisance of the fact that as the world's second-largest cocoa producer after Côte d'Ivoire,
Ghana faces significant challenges in its cocoa sector that demanded immediate attention from incoming leadership at COCOBOD.
For instance, the sector has experienced a dramatic decline in production, falling from a record high of 1.033 million tonnes in 2020/2021 to 550,000 tonnes in 2023/2024, though COCOBOD aims to reach 650,000 tonnes in the current season.
This decline stems from multiple factors, including climate change impacts, widespread tree diseases and disruption from illegal mining activities.
The task will be arduous and the road to success rough. However, with the renewed commitment, the paper is optimistic that the pledges will not be mere rhetoric but one backed with action to reset the ailing sector.