Whistleblowers on cocoa smugglers to receive cash reward

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has announced a GH¢2,000 incentive package for informants on every bag of cocoa retrieved from smugglers.

The package would be shared by the informants and security officials who effect the arrest of culprits of cocoa smuggling.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the COCBOD, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, who made the announcement, has consequently called on farmers to report cocoa smugglers to the law enforcement agencies for arrest and prosecution.

He stressed that the action had become imperative as the activities of the smugglers were depriving the nation of the necessary revenue.

Forum

Mr Boahen Aidoo made the announcement at an engagement with over 3,000 cocoa farmers at separate functions at Akyem Oda in the Birim Central Municipality, Akyem Abenase in Akyemansa and Asuokaw in the Upper West Akyem districts, all in the Eastern Region last Tuesday.

The function attracted many dignitaries, including the Deputy CEO for COCOBOD, Ebenezer Owusu; the Deputy Public Affairs Officer of COCOBOD, Ken Osei Ampofo; the MCE for West Akyem, Seth Oduro Boadu, and the Krontihene of  the Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area, Obrempong Gyamfi Saforo Kyereh.

Increasing production

The COCOBOD CEO emphasised the need for farmers to adopt research findings or cultural practices on their cocoa farms to increase production.

The cultural practices include regular clearing of cocoa farms, fertiliser application, removal of mistletoes, spraying of farms against capsids, pruning and hand pollination.

Mr Aidoo said farmers who effectively adopted the research findings could harvest 20 bags of cocoa from one acre.

He, however, advised farmers against the application of weedicides on their cocoa farms and burning of the cleared weeds before planting their crops as those practices destroyed soil nutrients, adding that the COCOBOD had banned 24D weedicides as they were harmful to human health.

The COCOBOD CEO further advised the farmers to harvest their cocoa every two weeks because when the pods were left to overripe, they reduced in weight.

Economy

Mr Boahen Aidoo commended cocoa farmers for the massive contribution to revamp the economy and urged them not to relent on their efforts.

He noted that the government had increased the producer price of cocoa from GH¢475 in 2017 to GH¢3,100 in 2024 to encourage farmers to maintain their cocoa farms.

Mr Boahen Aidoo revealed that the COCOBOD, this year, shifted from the acquisition of the 32-year syndicated loan from a consortium of foreign banks and relied on its own resources to purchase cocoa as the interest on the loan alone would have caused the nation an interest of $120 million this year.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Oda, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, who is also a Deputy Minister of Health, was full of praise for cocoa farmers for their contribution towards the national economy.

The District Chief Executive for Upper West Akyem, Eugene Sackey, who also addressed the farmers, urged them to put what they had learnt at the forum into practice to maximise productivity.