Cocoa farmers asked to embrace modern practices

The Country Director of Ecom Ghana Ltd, Mr Muhammed Muzzammil, has urged Ghanaian cocoa farmers to embrace modern ways of farming if they want to increase their yield.

He explained that although the farmers were working very hard to ensure the production of more beans from their farms, there was the urgent need for them to include best standard practices in addition to technological know-how so they could increase their yield per acre.

He lamented the low per acre yield being harvested by cocoa farmers in the country, which to him could be improved with new ways of farming and called on all and sundry to support the farmers to increase their output.

Mr Muzzammil made the call at a farmers’ durbar at Sefwi Asafo in the Sefwi Wiawso Municipality in the Western North Region where Agroecom Ghana, a licensed buying company (LBC), announced its premium to its farmers.

The programme, organised by Agroecom Ghana Ltd, brought together stakeholders in the cocoa industry, including cocoa farmers from Bodi, Tarkwa, Akontombra, Asawinso, Samreboi, Bonsu and Asempanaye among others.

Ecom Ghana Ltd is a global agro-industrial and commodity trading and processing company with its headquarters in Switzerland.

The Ecom group has six subsidiaries: Agroecom Ltd, a cocoa buying company; Unicom Commodities Ghana, a cocoa buying company; Crop Doctor, an agro-chemical company; Sustainable Management Service, a farmers advisory services company; Kiteko Ghana Ltd, a logistics and haulage company, and Unicom Specialty Commodities, a cashew, ginger and sesame buying company.

Maiden premium

The occasion was used to announce the payment of a maiden premium of GHc11,500,000 to more than 60,000 cocoa farmers who sell their cocoa beans to Lindt and Sprungli, a chocolate manufacturing company at Kilchberg in Switzerland. through Agroecom Ghana Ltd.

Each farmer would receive GHc10 as premium for each bag of certified cocoa beans sold to the company during the 2018/2019 cocoa season.

The General Manager of Unicom Commodities, Mr Kwasi Gyamfi Onyina Acheampong, announced the payment of the premium at the function.

Digitisation

Mr Muzzammil said to enhance the operations of both cocoa farmers and the Ecom Group Ltd, the company had introduced the mobile money platform for the payment of cocoa farmers to protect the farmers from being robbed after selling their cocoa.

He explained that apart from the safety of the farmers, the digital payment could also save the farmer’s time of having to travel long distances to cash or deposit their cash after the sale of their cocoa beans and other farm produce.

The Sefwi Asawinso District Manager of the Quality Control Company, Mr Enoch Agyekum, reminded cocoa farmers to desist from engaging their children on their farms at the expense of their education.

He explained that although children could assist their parents on their farms during holidays and after school, parents must do everything possible to keep their children in school, since education was the best legacy they could bequeath them.