Cocoa Producer Price

Cocoa farmers refuse to destroy disease infected farms

April 12, 2010

Ajumako Ochiso, (C/R), April 12, GNA - Most Cocoa farmers in the Central Region whose farms have been infected with the swollen shoot disease are refusing to allow the trees to be cut down for fear of losing their farms to the land owners.

Opanyin Yaw Ackom, a cocoa farmer at Breman Adandani who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said this at farmers rally organized at the weekend by the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District Office of the Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease Control Unit (CSSVDU) of the Ghana Cocoa Board at Adandani.

According to him, terms between the cocoa farmers and their landowners are that when the crops die or are uprooted and the land becomes vacant, it goes back to the owner and those who wish to re-crop it have to enter into new negotiations which, in most cases, do not go in favour of the original cocoa farmer.

"That is the more reason most cocoa farmers refused the cutting down of their disease-infested cocoa trees to avoid going into a fresh agreement with landowners, but prefer to continue to enjoy the little harvest from the cocoa tree".

At similar rallies held separately at Ajumako Ochiso and Agona Lower Bobikuma, two cocoa farmers, Mr Joseph Hagan and Kwame Agyei respectively, repeated the same concerns raised by Opanyin Ackom.

Mr Samuel Ankomah, Central Regional Cocoa Extension Officer, expressed dismay about the refusal of the farmers to allow for the destruction of their infected cocoa farms for replanting.

He said the situation was a source of worry to the government because it could have adverse effects on cocoa production in the country.

Mr Ankomah said the government had earmarked money to be paid to farmers whose diseased cocoa trees were cut down, adding that free hybrid cocoa seedlings would also be supplied and technical advise offered by extension workers.

Mr Philip Bedgyera, Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa District Officer of CSSVDUC, said the Cocoa Production Unit(CPU) of the Ghana Cocoa Board had nursed more than 1,000 hybrid cocoa seedlings to be supplied to the affected farmers for replanting.

GNA

Cocoa Producer Price increased to GH¢2,208 per tonne

Accra, Oct 14, GNA - The Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, on Wednesday announced an upward adjustment in the producer price of cocoa from GH¢1,632 per tonne to GH¢2,208.00, effective October 14, 2009.

The new figure, which is 71.06 percent of the net FOB price, the highest price ever to be paid in the country, translates to GH¢138.00 per bag of 64 kilogramme gross weight, and a 35.29 per cent increase over the previous price.

Dr Duffuor who announced this at a stakeholders meeting in Accra, said government had approved the new producer price based on the recommendation of the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC) that met earlier during the day.

The Finance Minister also disclosed that government had approved PPRC's recommendation to increase the Buyer's margin, Haulers rate, Cocoa Marketing Company's internal marketing costs, as well as fees for disinfestations, grading, sealing and scale inspection.

Dr Duffuor said government had given the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) one week ultimatum to work out the bonuses of farmers on the 2008 and 2009 main cocoa crop season for approval by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.

"COCOBOD must ensure that the payment of the bonus is effected before December 2009," he stressed.

The Finance Minister announced that government had established a Social Security Fund for Cocoa Farmers to take effect for the 2009 and 2010 season.

"To this end, GH¢21.43 per tonne has been set aside to start the fund and this will amount to GH¢15 million," he said.

Dr Duffuor said government had directed COCOBOD to complete work on the revision of the Cocoa Sector Development Strategy Document which, according to him, was approved in April 1999 by the government, and to organise a stakeholders workshop to validate the result by the end of January 2010.

"The revised strategy document will dovetail into government's medium term plan being prepared by the National Development Planning Commission," he hinted.

A cocoa farmer who spoke to the Ghana News Agency on condition of anonymity, lauded government's initiative in establishing the Social Security Fund for cocoa farmers and expressed the hope it would go a long way in ameliorating some of the economic hardships the farmers faced during old age.

GNA

40,000 tonnes of cocoa lost to smuggling since October 2009

Accra, Feb. 8, GNA - About 40,000 metric tonnes of cocoa have been lost through smuggling to neighbouring Cote d'Ivoire and Togo since the beginning of the Main Crop season in October last year, Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) said on Monday.

"There may be a deficit because just as we did the forecast people are telling us that we might be close to 800,000 but because of smuggling. If we are able to seal some of these leakages we will be able to mop up whatever we get from the field," he said.

COCOBOD's Chief Executive Tony Fofie said in an interview that the upsurge in smuggling could dent the target of 700,000 metric tonnes projected for the 2009/10 cocoa season

"We are saddened by the upsurge in smuggling. Although the price differential is there, we believe there is more to this sort of smuggling," he said.

Government has already increased the Producer Price of cocoa twice in effort to keep a tight rein on smuggling.

Mr. Fofie said apart from increasing producer price, security and patrols must be stepped up along the country's western and eastern corridors to stem the menace.

Already, teams of security personnel have been dispatched to areas along the western and eastern borders.

He said management was also working on incentive packages to farmers and interventions such as pest and diseases control, spraying and enhanced subsidies on fertilizer to boost incomes.

Mr. Fofie said management would continue to seek the welfare of farmers and provide incentives to enhance increased production and its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product.

Currently, cocoa contributes about six per cent to the country's GDP.

He announced that management was making efforts to ensure that the benefits that accrued from cocoa were equitably distributed throughout the country through focusing on cocoa farmers in the rural communities.

"COCOBOD has over the years, assisted in the establishment of educational institutions, training and development of the country's human resources and would continue to do so, "he said.

GNA

Communities sensitized to demand their civic rights

Tamale, Oct, 15, GNA - The Ghana Developing Communities Associations (GDCA), a local non-governmental organisation, has been sensitizing some communities in the Tamale metropolis about their civic rights and responsibilities to be able to demand their share of government development projects.

Some of the communities include Kalipohini, Kakpagyili, Kanvilli, Vittin, Nyohini, Lamashegu and Choggu.

Madam Mariam Adam Kadiri, Gender Officer of Women and Youth of GDCA, said the women who had benefited from the sensitization programmes through the communities based organizations could now demand their rights from their husbands as well as stand against any form violence from their husbands.

She said communities must be empowered and educated to know what was theirs and to demand it from stakeholders through effective dialogue and lobbying.

She said about 26, 000 women and youths had so far been trained about their rights and they could talk freely about issues affecting them.

Madam Kadiri said some of them had also been given skill training through collaboration with other developmental organizations and NGOs.

Some of the participants took turns to share their success stories about the communities based organizations of the GDCA.

GNA

SIAKON MEDIA

Helping You Communicate For Success