Former President John Dramani Mahama's allegations that the cocoa industry in Ghana has collapsed have been debunked by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
According to reports, the former president blamed the downfall of the cocoa industry on the producer price and poor management, which allowed farmers to sell their cocoa estates to illegal miners for less money.
But COCOBOD has criticized such claims as false and harmful to the cocoa industry, the cornerstone of Ghana's economy.
The administration of COCOBOD admitted that galamsey activities constituted a serious threat to Ghana in a statement in response to the former President's assertion, and it said that any attempts to defend or rationalize the conversion of a cocoa plantation into a galamsey site must be regarded with disdain.
The COCOBOD management further indicated that the former president's claim that the price of cocoa producers increased every year during his administration was false since the statistics at hand show the reverse.
The cocoa sector is not failing, contrary to what the former president claimed, according to COCOBOD. The 202021 crop season saw Ghana produce 1,045,500 metric tons of cocoa, which was a record high. The hand pollination program, the mass pruning program, and the cocoa rehabilitation program are just a few of the interventions in which COCOBOD continues to invest in order to assure the industry's development as well as its survival.
Additionally, COCOBOD announced that, in order to guarantee a comfortable retirement, it was enrolling cocoa farmers all over the nation in the Cocoa Farmers Pension Scheme (CFPS) for the first time in the industry's history.
The public is urged to support COCOBOD's efforts as it reaffirms its commitment to helping farmers and preserving the long-term viability of the cocoa sector.
Currently, a total of 38515.54 hectares of formerly afflicted and unproductive cocoa plantations have been totally restored, and around 59151.44 hectares have also been treated, thanks to a facility from the African Development Bank (AfDB). Across the nation, efforts to restore other sick farms are still ongoing.
To guarantee a comfortable retirement, COCOBOD is enrolling cocoa farmers nationwide into the Cocoa Farmers Pension Scheme (CFPS) for the first time in the history of the industry.
As we continue to closely collaborate with our stakeholders, COCOBOD will continue to support farmers and ensure the long-term viability of the cocoa industry.
We appeal to the people to help us in our mission.
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