Stakeholders in the global cocoa industry have accepted Ghana and la Cote d’Ivoire’s proposed Floor Price of two thousand six hundred dollars per ton of the produce, which is to come into effect from the main growing season of 2020-2021.
The deal, therefore, gives the highest of assurance of better producer prices for farmers in Ghana from that season since 70 percent of the price would be given directly to them for their produce sold to the Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs).
The Chief Executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, who disclosed this while addressing farmer fora at separate locations in the Ashanti Region, however, noted that Ghana needs to meet certain demands within and beyond the period.
These demands include the total elimination of child labour in cocoa production, avoidance of farming in reserved forests as well as the elimination of the use of harmful chemicals such as Two-Four D from production.
He, therefore, charged cocoa farmers to help the government to ensure that only best practices are adopted in the business.
The COCOBOD Chief Executive is leading a management delegation, of the cocoa regulatory organization, on a tour of cocoa-growing districts in the Ashanti region.
The visit is expected to enable the COCOBOD officials to interact with farmers in order to learn at first-hand their concerns, and factors militating against the agenda to increase the national production output.
It is also expected to help explain certain key interventions being implemented by COCOBOD while educating the farmers on the best tilling practices they need to adopt for improved yield among others.
Already some durbars have been held with farmers from the three Amansie districts of West, South, and Central at Tontokrom, Adansi Atobiase, and Brofoyedru near Adansi Asokwa in the Adansi North district and Obuasi, as part of the visit.
Some of the key concerns of the farmers’ were issues of irregular and untimely supply of the subsidized fertilizers and approved agrochemicals, poor roads leading to and from cocoa-producing communities.
They also noted the delayed payment of allowances and supply of working gear to members of the mass spraying gangs among others.
Mr. Joseph Boahene Aidoo assured cocoa farmers that President Akuffo-Addo will announce a new cocoa producer price for the 2019-2020 season in October.
