Govt to set up fund to protect farmers against fall in world market price of cocoa
The government is to establish a cocoa stabilisation fund to protect farmers against a fall in the world market price of the produce, President John Dramani Mahama has announced.
Inaugurating a new national office building for the Cocoa, Coffee and Sheanut Farmers Association (COCOSHE) in Accra yesterday, the President said the government would start putting money into the fund this year.
The five-storey edifice was financed by the association, which intends to commercialise part of it.
The consultants on the project, Avangarde Design Services, said the project cost GH¢5.8 million and that it took five years to complete.
Recounting the measures the government had taken to inject vibrancy into the cocoa industry, Mr Mahama said there were plans to aggressively pursue adding value to the produce, so that the country would maximise revenue from cocoa and create jobs for the youth.
In that respect, he said, there would be an increase in the percentage of cocoa beans supplied to the local industries.
Cocoa roads
President Mahama said GH¢150 million would be invested in upgrading cocoa roads this year, saying six cocoa-growing districts would be covered under the programme.
Investing in the roads project would facilitate the transportation of the produce to the ports and also bring relief to farmers, he stressed.
Mr Mahama condemned the activities of unscrupulous produce clerks who adjusted weighing scales to cheat farmers, saying action was being taken to bring those cheats to book.
The President hinted that he would direct the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Police Service to take the issue up.
He commended the leadership of COCOSHE for its foresight that had resulted in the construction of the office project.
The Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Stephen Opuni, said the board would supply 50 million seedlings free of charge to farmers for planting this year.
Besides, he said, a programme to freely rehabilitate overage cocoa farms would start this year.
He commended the President for the tremendous support he continued to offer to COCOBOD, which had resulted in the positive stories told so far.
The National President of COCOSHE, Alhaji Alhassan Bukari, said the association was poised to achieve more for its members and the nation through progressive initiatives.
Appreciation
In another development, members of COCOSHE have expressed appreciation to the President and the government for the unprecedented increase in the producer price of cocoa.
"Indeed, this (62.74 per cent increase) is a gargantuan increase that has touched the hearts of farmers in the cocoa industry," Alhaji Bukari said in appreciation when he led a number of farmers to call on the President at the Flagstaff House last Wednesday.
In a speech read on his behalf, Alhaji Bukari said farmers had been motivated to increase production.
He also mentioned other laudable initiatives undertaken by the government in the cocoa sector, including the over 150 per cent increase in bonus, the free fertiliser and cocoa rehabilitation programmes, in addition to the continuation of the cocoa mass spraying exercise.
"We see these gestures as a challenge thrown to us as farmers and wish to assure you that we will do all we can to contribute our quota to your efforts to turn the economy round for the betterment of all Ghanaians," he said.
President's response
President Mahama said the changes in the cocoa industry were the fruits of the seeds farmers sowed.
He said the government took the decision to pay cocoa farmers 70 per cent of the world market price as motivation and asked farmers to take advantage of the new producer price to increase production.
He also urged young people to invest in agriculture.
