By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
From the next academic year, all 87,000 wards of cocoa farmers at the University will enjoy free residential accommodation and utilities.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board, Joseph Boahene Aidoo, who announced this in the Ashanti region, disclosed also that, the policy will be financed from the savings made by the cocoa regulatory authority from its domestic financing model for the purchase of cocoa beans since the 2022 season projected to amount to two billion Ghana Cedis by the end of the current crop season.
The COCOBOD’s CEO made these known at Offinso, Odumase and Juaso during separate durbars of cocoa farmers.
Mr. Boahene Aidoo is leading Management of COCOBOD on a tour of cocoa growing districts in the country to interact with cocoa farmers.
In the Ashanti region, one of the major cocoa producing administrative regions, the COCOBOD Management began the working tour with a courtesy call on the new Paramount Chief of Offinso, Nana Wiafe Akenten II.
Nana Wiafe Akenten II, himself a cocoa farmer, testified about the importance of the Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme which is a beneficiary.
“in adherence to the advice of cocoa extension officers, I availed my old cocoa farm for rehabilitation. Today, I wish you could follow me to the farm, the rehabilitated cocoa farm has started fruiting and I;m very happy about this”, he said.
At a durbar with cocoa farmers from various parts of the Offinso Municipality were members of the various cooperatives as well as Agric Extension Officers.
Mr. Boahene Aidoo, reminded the farmers of the best cultural practices such as periodic pruning to allow for aeration of the farm, moderate shade from trees, application of organic manure instead of inorganic fertilizer as well as the use of the motorized slashers rather than the use of weedicide which has health and environmental dangers to both the farmer and the land.
The CEO expressed regret that all the about three thousand cocoa farmers who were supplied with the motorized dual Slasher-pruner have refused credit have refused to repay for the cost of the machines.
Mr. Boahene Aidoo announced that, from next week, all contractors on the cocoa roads project will be paid their monies for construction to resume.
“It’s now of public knowledge that the cocoa price is on a historic rise making the cocoa business very exciting. Therefore, right from next week, we’re going to pay the contractors to resume construction of the cocoa roads.
All cocoa roads which were halted due to the effects of COVID-19 are going to be completed”, the CEO assured.
At Odumase near Konongo in the Asante Akyem Central Municipality, Mr. Boahene Aidoo announced again that, 40 thousand out of the 70 thousand hectares of moribund cocoa farms rehabilitated through an African Development Bank facility has matured and will soon be officially handed over to the original farmers to maintain and increase production to the overall national yield.
The COCOBOD CEO disclosed that, COCOBOD would be saving about two billion Ghana Cedis in what would have otherwise been payment of Interest on the syndicated loans since the resort to the new domestic funding model.
This fund will now be used to support wards of cocoa farmers at the university from the next academic year.
He announced “we’ve observed that one of the major concerns of students at the university is residential accommodation. This makes some of the students, especially the females, highly vulnerable and miserable. It’s been calculated that the savings we’ve made from non payment of interest on an otherwise syndicated loan could conveniently cater for residential accommodation and facility user fees of all the wards of cocoa farmers at the university. So I have informed the President about the opportunity.”
The COCOBOD Management team ended the Ashanti regional tour with another interaction with cocoa farmers in the Asante Akyem South Municipality at Juaso where the CEO expressed satisfaction with the success of the artificial pollination exercise which is also contributing to youth employment and yield per hectare.
At all the durbars, the farmers presented gifts to the COCOBOD CEO in appreciation of his leadership in Ghana’s cocoa production during the almost eight years of his appointment.
