‘Revamp cocoa industry to attract youth’
Ghana should revamp its cocoa industry to attract more youth into cocoa farming as the current crop of cocoa farmers in the country are ageing.
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There is the need therefore for the youth to be motivated to go into the sector to sustain the industry.
The President of the World Cocoa Farmers Organisation (WCFO) and a Member of the Council of State, Opanin Abraham Edusei, made the call when he briefed journalists on the just-ended conference of the International Cocoa Organisation held in the Dominican Republic.
Promote interest of cocoa farmers
He stressed that the cocoa farmer was an important stakeholder in the cocoa value chain and must, therefore, be well catered for.
Accordingly, Opanin Edusei appealed to the government to ensure a reduction in the interest paid on bank loans to make the loans affordable to the smallholder cocoa farmer.
Organic farming
He also urged the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to support the organic cocoa farming currently being practised by some smallholder farmers in the Eastern and Volta regions, adding that it was done on a large scale in other parts of the world.
On the conference of the International Cocoa Organisation, Opanin Edusei said this year’s meeting was aimed at bringing the world’s cocoa farmers together on a common platform so that they could speak with one voice.
He explained that the International Cocoa Organisation was formed purposely to promote the welfare of cocoa farmers and the cocoa value chain.
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another cocoa farmer, Mr Isaac Owusu Mensah, lauded the efforts of the government and COCOBOD to provide farmers with fertilisers.
He said cocoa farming was lucrative but farmers needed good capital to cultivate the crop.