We’ve restored lost livelihood through cocoa rehabilitation — Dr Prempeh

The vice-presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has credited the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for restoring the livelihood of thousands of cocoa farmers through the comprehensive Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme.

“Through this initiative, we have taken steps to restore the lost livelihood of cocoa farmers by not only addressing the disease but also boosting farm productivity and resilience,” he stated.

Durbar

At a durbar of Chiefs at Debiso in the Western North Region, Dr Prempeh said the rehabilitation programme was designed to effectively curb the spread of Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease (CSSVD) and revitalise affected farms.

He recounted that under the John Mahama government, the approach to combat CSSVD was flawed because it burdened farmers with the task of cutting down diseased trees themselves, replanting, and managing the process largely without effective supervision.

"Instead of intervening to secure our cocoa sector, the previous government left farmers to handle CSSVD alone. Not surprisingly, this approach was not effective and led to the spread of the disease. Many farms became infected, and Ghana’s cocoa output suffered immensely, with Western North losing close to two-thirds of its production capacity."

Transformation

In contrast, Dr Prempeh highlighted the transformative approach adopted by the Nana Addo-led government, which took responsibility for containing CSSVD and provided robust support to farmers.

Under this administration, he said, the government assumed the full cost of cutting down diseased trees, treating the farms, replanting disease-tolerant, high-yielding seedlings, and managing the farmland for not less than two years until new crops could thrive.

He said aside from that, labour was provided at no cost to farmers, and farmers receive GH₵1,000.00 per hectare of infected land to alleviate the financial impact of the rehabilitation on their livelihood.

Dr Prempeh said the programme also provided compensation for both tenant farmers and landowners where tenancy agreements were affected, ensuring that all parties benefit from the rehabilitation process.

“We took action where the previous government failed,” Dr Prempeh emphasised. “This government didn’t just abandon farmers to their fate; we stood by them, rehabilitated their farms and supported them every step of the way.”