Ghana\u2019s desire to increase cocoa production has suffered a major setback as it has been revealed that 40% of all cocoa trees in Ghana are not productive.<\/p>\n
Out of the 40%, 17% have been affected by swollen shoot disease while 23% are over 30 years and had become unproductive.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”i44S2sYwBDfIHtAlGrUdnA9c6fbRDJxw”]Ghana, the second-largest producing country in the world, targets to raise production to 1 million tonnes by 2020, from the current annual output of 800,000 tonnes.<\/p>\n
The above challenges coupled with \u2018galamsey\u2019 destroying additional cocoa farms and falling prices threaten the one million tonnes target.<\/p>\n
Chief Executive of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Joseph Boahen Aidoo, who made the disclosure, said the only solution is to cut down all the trees and replant.<\/p>\n
“What it means is that at least 40 percent of Ghana’s cocoa stock is not producing and it’s a challenge we must resolve to sustain production in future,” he said.<\/p>\n
To achieve the target, he said COCOBOD was seeking funding from African Development Bank to undertake an extensive rehabilitation of moribund farms, to be complemented by a hand pollination programme to be launched on Thursday in the Ashanti Region.<\/p>\n
He stated that the cocoa sector contributes 4.22% of Gross Domestic Products (GDP), 30% of export earnings.<\/p>\n
He added that while farmers in other countries make 32 bags from one hectare, some Ghanaian farmers do not even make one bag from a hectare.<\/p>\n
No annual bonuses to Cocoa farmers this year<\/strong><\/p>\n Aidoo further disclosed that Ghana might not pay annual bonuses to cocoa farmers this year due to a drop in global prices from $3,000 in June 2016 to about $1,975.<\/p>\n Farmers paid $400 more than world market price<\/strong><\/p>\n “Considering the current level of (world) prices, we believe we are paying $400 more per tonne to our farmers than the price we sell the cocoa at the world market. It is a tight situation and we may not be able to pay bonuses this year,” he added.<\/p>\n He explained that farmers are being paid more than the world market price because of government maintained the producer price paid to farmers despite the price fall.<\/p>\n The COCOBOD Chief Executive defended the government’s decision to subsidise fertiliser for farmers, saying that the free fertiliser is fueling smuggling to neighbouring countries.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n Source: The Finder<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ghana\u2019s desire to increase cocoa production has suffered a major setback as it has been revealed that 40% of all cocoa trees in Ghana are not productive. Out of the 40%, 17% have been affected by swollen shoot disease while 23% are over 30 years and had become unproductive. [contextly_sidebar id=”i44S2sYwBDfIHtAlGrUdnA9c6fbRDJxw”]Ghana, the second-largest producing country […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[32],"tags":[295,8011,3],"yoast_head":"\n