There is more good news for Ghanaian cocoa farmers, just days after government increased the producer price of cocoa by about 63%.
Cocoa farmers are also to benefit from a livelihood enhancement programme that is expected to train them to grow other crops apart from cocoa.
The programme funded by the World Cocoa foundation (WCF) and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture is targeted at about 60,000 households in cocoa growing areas in Ghana.
The Agriculture Ministry and the WCF signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the implementation of the second phase of the programme which will end in February 2018.
[contextly_sidebar id=”b3JAZKvy1drtU3FxQTiyv7ikTOrTFj91″]The MOU will among other things, allow for the exchange of knowledge and technical assistance, secure planting materials and ensure periodic field monitoring.
Also, it will link food crop technical experts at the Ministry to WCF member companies and assign food crop extension service staff to provide extension service to cocoa farmers.
The Director of Cocoa Livelihoods programme, Suzanne Ngo-Eyok speaking Citi Business News said: “What we are doing is to use the expertise and resources from MOFA in order to assist our farmers to diversify their food crops mainly in cassava and plantain.”
According to her, “it is really to make sure that you are getting income from the production of cocoa but you are not obliged to buy food. You can also grow your own food and invest the money to get things like education, provision of services, improving your life conditions”
World Cocoa foundation is investing about $70 million in the Cocoa Livelihoods programme for Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroon over a period of 10 years.
By: Kwaku Anim Boadu/citifmonline.com/Ghana