The 2021 National Best Cocoa farmer, Nana Kwadwo Amoako, has expressed his appreciation to President Nana Addo, for the new producer price for the 2023/2024 cocoa season.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over the weekend at Tepa in the Ahafo-Ano Municipality, announced a new cocoa producer price of GH ₵ 20,943.00 Ghana cedis per tonne, which was set by the Cocoa Producer Price Committee, made of industry experts and farmer representatives, signifies a substantial increase of 63% over the previous price of GH₵ 12,800 per tonne. This translates into a 63.5 per cent increase from the current price of GHC 800.00, making it the highest to be paid to cocoa farmers across West Africa in some 15 years.
The President had to take a break in his speech for about five minutes as the elated farmers rushed in front of the podium to express their excitement about the quantum increase in the producer price.
It took security details present to restrict some of them from climbing the podium in their joyous mood.
Nana Kwadwo Amoako, who also doubles as Ghana’s pollination ambassador, made these remarks in an exclusive interview on Denkyiraman Radio’s political show National Agenda on Monday 11 September 2023.
According to Nana Kwadwo Amoako, although he was expecting an increment the in producer price of cocoa, he least expected Ghc 508. He believes the astronomical increments will discourage cocoa farmers from smudging the produce to neighbouring countries.
He further urged the youth and farmers who have ignored or given their lands for Galamsey activities and rubber plantations to go into cocoa farming.
He said the roles of farmers whose toils and sweat were sustaining the cocoa sector for the benefit of the nation and appealed to the staff of the Ghana Cocobod to be mindful of the way they treat cocoa farmers in the country.
To address the current challenges confronting the cocoa sector which include, smuggling and illegal mining he urged the government to tackle them head-on.
Source: Ghana/DenkyiramanRadio/919 FM / LOLI SHINE
