If critical measures are not taken by the Akufo-Addo-led government in the cocoa sector, there will not be a single bean of cocoa to boast of by the year 2020, the president of the Concerned Farmers Association of Ghana, Nana Opambour Oboadee Osei Bonsu, has said.
According to him, some influential persons in society are persuading cocoa farmers to switch to rubber production because the latter is more profitable. This situation, he said, had led to the cutting down of over 2000 acres of cocoa trees in Akyem Asikasu in the Eastern Region alone, with several other parts of the country following on that path.
Speaking in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom, on Accra100.5FM on Tuesday January 17, Osei Bonsu said: “There are several reports compiled by some people on the agricultural sector, but many of these are inaccurate. For instance, they tell you that the cocoa sector is doing well but as we speak, there is no future for the cocoa sector in Ghana. By the year 2020, we may not have even a single bean of cocoa in Ghana because cocoa has been neglected for rubber plantation.”
“We have over 2000 acres of cocoa that have been destroyed in only Akyem Asikasu for rubber plantation. The same is happening in other parts of the country because some people are deceiving the cocoa farmers that there is more profit in producing rubber than cocoa and this poses a threat to the future of cocoa in Ghana.
“We, as an association, have written to the Ministries for the Interior, Food and Agriculture, and other organisations but because of disunity among farmers, this concern has not addressed.”
He added: “We are appealing to the Nana Addo administration to listen to farmers’ concerns. If his administration will flourish, he should involve all stakeholders in the agricultural sector in his decision making. He should also invest more in agriculture. I believe that there are some mafias around who want to take undue advantage of every government to enrich themselves at the expense of poor farmers.”
AccraFM
