The Minister of Agriculture and Member of Parliament (MP) for Abetifi Constituency in the Eastern Region, Dr. Bryan Acheampong, has hinted that there is good news coming in for cocoa farmers, which will change the face of cocoa farming in the country.
According to him, the announcement, which will be made by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the next cocoa price window, will be a landmark and a history in the country’s cocoa sector, adding that “cocoa farming is going to change after the announcement.”
“There is going to be a big announcement for cocoa farmers, a very big, big, big, big announcement never heard before in the history of cocoa farming in the country,” he told Republic FM Morning Show host at the Big Interview held at Rock City Hotel in Kwahu.
Dr. Acheampong said in the past, cocoa farmers saw the crop as an important commodity in the country.
“But that trend has changed, today it is difficult for a cocoa farmer to pay his/her ward’s school fee, so we want to reverse that.”
“The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is going to ensure that the farmers earn more from their crops than what they are doing now,” he stated.
The Minister said when he met Cocobod, one of the things he asked them to change was the Free on Board (FOB) policy, where after the announcement of the World Cocoa Market price, the board will have to sit down and do some deductions before the farmer is given a price for a bag, but that has changed.
If Cocobod cannot fund all their projects, then it’s better they cut cost because, from the next pricing season, farmers are going to be given what is called gloss FOB. This time, the farmer will know what he will earn from a bag of cocoa whenever the world price is announced.
