Eric Opoku, the Minister-Designate for Food and Agriculture, has outlined his vision for revitalising Ghana’s agricultural sector.
Eric Opoku, the Minister-Designate for Food and Agriculture, speaking before Parliament’s, Appointments Committee on Monday, 20 January 2025 expressed concern over the sharp decline in Ghana’s cocoa production, which has reached its lowest level in 20 years.
During the vetting, he addressed pressing issues including cocoa production, the poultry industry, youth participation in agriculture, and institutional farming.
He cited data from the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), which revealed that cocoa production for the season stood at 530,000 metric tonnes.
“Just recently during the transition engagement, COCOBOD submitted a list to us. In that document, they indicated that their production was 530 metric tonnes. In this case, both of you are right. But being it 430 or 530 metric tonnes, both are right. But production has declined and that is the lowest in the last two decades,” he stated.
Opoku further revealed that Ghana defaulted on a syndicated loan of $800 million, taken to purchase 850,000 tonnes of cocoa, due to the inability to meet production targets. He assured that the government would prioritise addressing this debt and other financial challenges within the sector.
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