The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has allocated nearly GH₵1 billion in the past year to rehabilitate aged cocoa farms and those affected by swollen shoot diseases.
Aiming to enhance national cocoa production in the short to medium term, this investment is part of ongoing efforts to revitalize the cocoa sector and improve farmers’ livelihoods.
In an interview, COCOBOD Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, expressed confidence that Ghana would produce over 800,000 metric tons of cocoa in the 2024/25 season, which begins in September.
Mr. Aidoo explained that the funds were used to cut down diseased and aged farms, nurse and plant new seedlings, and maintain rehabilitated farms before they are handed back to farmers.
The substantial investment led to an increase in COCOBOD’s administrative expenses to GH₵3.4 billion last year, which has been a point of contention amid claims of misallocation.
However, Mr. Aidoo clarified that this figure included significant spending on productivity enhancement programs, rather than being used solely for administrative costs.
Deputy CEO in charge of Finance and Administration, Ray Ankrah, addressed the issue, stating, “It’s misleading to suggest that COCOBOD spent GH₵3.4 billion only on administrative costs. A significant portion of this was invested in rehabilitating diseased and moribund farms to support cocoa production and farmers’ livelihoods.”
Mr. Ankrah added that GH₵943 million of the administrative costs were specifically allocated to productivity enhancement programs funded by a loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB).
He emphasized that, aside from this exceptional expenditure, the board’s administrative costs actually decreased in 2023, noting that rehabilitating farms was crucial for sustaining the cocoa sector and combating the impacts of diseases like the swollen shoot virus, which reduces yields and threatens cocoa production.
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Source: Comfort Sweety Hayford/ATLFMNEWS
