The C.E.O of Ghana Cocoa-Board, Mr. Boahen Aidoo has outlined measures to improve cocoa farming in country.
The revelation was made yesterday at Akropong, a suburb of the Amenfi West District in the Western Region.
In his words, he explained the current government inherited a debt of $1.8m US dollars contracted by the previous president Mahama led administration.
In further presentations, Mr. Aidoo said upon assumption of duty at the Cocoa Board worked hard to clear the debt saving Ghc1.6 million to the state.
Under the leadership of former president J. A. Kuffuor, mass cocoa spraying and high tech cocoa fertilizers were introduced leading to 1 million metric tones of harvest in the 2009 cocoa buying season, the best ever in Ghana’s history.
However, Ghana’s cocoa production has been on the decline due to lack of continuous supply of the Agro inputs making Ivory Coast the current leading producer of cocoa in the African sub region.
“When Ghana was producing 1 million tones, Ivory Coast was also producing the same, but now in Ghana cocoa production is collapsing; last year Ivory Coast was producing 1.8 million metric tones whilst Ghana was producing 778 thousand metric tones,” Mr. Boahen Aidoo said.
During the 2016 campaign, candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo promised cocoa farmers he was going to bring cocoa production to where it belongs should Ghanaians vote him into power.
The Cocoa Board CEO has assured Ghanaians saying “Because of the good management of Nana Addo’s government, Ghana is going to produce 1 million metric tones of cocoa this year.”
According to news report, a new method dubbed “Hand Pollination” has been introduced to help improve cocoa production upwards to 32 bags per an acre of land cultivated.
As part of government’s effort, a new machine was introduced to control weeds from the cocoa farms serving as replacement for use of weedicides.
Government in partnership with The African Development Bank has pledge $500 million dollars support for the unemployed youth who will go into cocoa farming.
The western region born Mr. Aidoo disclosed that, “President Nana Addo sent me to Ivory Coast to negociate with the president of African Development Bank who have promised to support with $500 million dollars, so that a lot more of the youth will go into cocoa farming.
Source: Omanba Kodwo Boafo/ritefmonline.org
