The Ghana Civil-Society Cocoa Platform is entreating the Ministry of Food and Agriculture to work closely with cocoa farmers to achieve the desired results in the Phase II of the Planting for Food and Jobs programme.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Monday, August 28, 2023, launched Phase II of the government’s flagship Planting for Food and Jobs programme in Tamale, targeted at building on the successes of the initial programme.
In an interview with Citi News, the coordinator of Ghana Civil-Society Cocoa Platform, Obed Owusu-Addai, indicated that most of the losses made in the market during the previous season could have been avoided if the concerns raised by the farmers had been addressed.
“One of the problems we had last season was that we had too much rain. We know that in this phase, one of the things the cocoa farmer will need will be technical expertise and knowledge of the weather patterns so that we can position ourselves accordingly.
“The other thing is the availability of fertilizer and fungicide for the cocoa farmer. At some point last season, we had a fungus infestation due to the heavy rains. There was no fungicide on the market for farmers to buy to spray on their cocoa farms, and we lost a lot of cocoa beans because they were all attacked by fungus. In the next phase of Planting for Food and Jobs, we are urging the government to work with stakeholders to make fertilizers available at affordable prices.”
