The newly appointed Chief Executive of Ghana COCOBOD, Dr. Randy Abbey, has stated that farmers will be prioritized in the financial matters of the board.
He explained that there is an urgent need to redirect COCOBOD’s finances to compensate farmers.
Engaging stakeholders for the first time after his appointment, Dr. Abbey told farmers that they would be the focus of COCOBOD. He assured them that farmers would be constantly consulted to seek their input in decision-making.
“We need to listen to them. They are the practitioners. They [farmers] have been involved in this for decades, and in every decision that we take, we need to have their input. They ought to be central in our decision-making,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of the cocoa farmer in the entire value chain. According to Dr. Abbey, farmers must be well catered to in order to encourage the production of quality cocoa for the nation.
“We also need to prioritize their welfare, so that is what I mean by putting the cocoa farmers at the center of what we do here,” he added.
Dr. Abbey underscored the need to continue some long-term projects started by COCOBOD to boost production.
“There are some things that have been started, such as the rehabilitation of some of the farms. We need to intensify that. We first need to understand what is going on and then intensify it as well,” he said.
He also suggested the need to focus on large-scale farming to sustain cocoa production.
“We need to work together with the farmers to see how we can increase that. There is also the issue of prioritizing large-scale farming, as seen in Côte d’Ivoire and some of the neighboring countries,” he said.
The spokesperson of the Ghana Cocoa Coffee Sheanut Farmers Association (COCOSHE), Imoro Issifu Alhassan, outlined some areas that must be quickly addressed to restore growth in the cocoa sector.
“You have come at a time when the COCOSHE are facing huge challenges that must be tackled immediately. These challenges include, but are not limited to, declining production, low incomes, and persistent threats from pests and diseases,” he said.
He pointed out that another major threat to cocoa production is galamsey.
“These issues and others remain critical priorities for us, and we look forward to working closely with your office to tackle them effectively,” he added.
He cautioned that cocoa production is at its lowest point, which is unprecedented in the history of cocoa production in Ghana.
“From a production level of over one million tons to below 500,000 tons as we speak is sickening. For production to sink this low calls for an urgent need to tackle these challenges head-on,” he said.
He also added that farmers’ welfare has suffered a setback.
