Unicom announces payment of bonus to cocoa farmers
Unicom Ghana Ltd, a cocoa purchasing group, has announced the payment of GH¢900,000 as premium (bonus) to cocoa farmers for the 2015/2016 cocoa season.
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The farmers are expected to receive GH¢17 as bonus for each bag of cocoa sold to the company.
More than 7,600 cocoa farmers across the country are to benefit from the package after selling 3,380 tonnes (54,080 bags) of certified cocoa to the company from its operational areas in the country.
Premium
The premium is paid as a result of the certification of cocoa sold by the farmers to the purchasing company of their choice.
The Head, Licence Buying Company (LBC), Unicom Ghana Ltd, Mr Richard Suwli, who announced this, said the premium payment was to motivate the farmers to enable them to produce more through good agricultural practices.
Mr Suwli announced this at Bogoso in the Prestea Huni Valley District in the Western Region.
The programme, which had the theme: “Cocoa sustainability-A key to improving the farmers’ productivity,” brought together farmers from Bogoso, Asankragua, Assin Praso, Samreboi, Dunkwa, Antoakrom and Wassa Akropong, among others.
Mr Suwli said to ensure the use of the correct method of planting, pruning and pesticide application to achieve the premium, the company had employed 12 agronomists to train farmers on good agricultural practices.
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He said the company had trained the farmers on how to include food crops such as cassava and plantain on their farms, in order to improve their livelihood.
350,000 seedlings
The Head of the LBCs said the company, in collaboration with the Ghana Cocobod, had raised and distributed 350,000 cocoa seedlings to farmers in its operational areas in the country.
He said to complement the government’s effort, the company had also supplied agricultural inputs, agro-chemicals, fertilisers and farm tools on credit to more than 2,000 farmers all geared towards increasing their yield.
The Western South Regional Manager of Quality Control Company, Mr Peter A. Tandoh, said the maintenance of the nation’s cocoa quality required a holistic approach and called on all to contribute their quota towards the attainment of that feat.
He said Ghana’s cocoa was the best in the world, and there was the need, therefore for the farmers to maintain good farming practices to maintain its quality.
Mr Tandoh cautioned farmers against the use of unapproved chemicals which could lead to high quantity of residual levels which could make the international community reject Ghana’s cocoa and in the long run bring about great loss to the country.
He lauded the cocoa farmers in the Western South region for their compliance with good agricultural practices leading to the attainment of high quality cocoa for the local and international market.
The Deputy Programme Manager for Sustainability Management Services for Unicom Ghana Ltd, Madam Matilda Agyapong, reminded farmers to make sure they desist from using children on their farms.
She said, rather, they should ensure that they supported the children to go to school and provide them with all their school needs to make them happy to stay in school.