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The Ghana Cocoa, Coffee and Sheanut Farmers Association (COCOSHE), the umbrella body for tree crop farmers in the country, has welcomed the increase in the producer price of cocoa from GH ¢ 515 to GH ¢ 660 per a 64 kg bag of cocoa.
He said the 28.2 percent increase announced by the government demonstrates a commitment to improving the livelihoods of cocoa farmers.
Farmers said they had also breathed a sigh of relief when the government released the much-talked about Living Income Differential (LID) price that gave cocoa farmers $ 400 more per ton of cocoa.
A statement signed by the association’s national president, who is also the national chief farmer, Alhaji Alhassan Bukari, said: “Once again, we have not lost sight of the various ongoing Productivity Improvement Programs (PEPs) that the government and Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) is implementing to help farmers increase yields. “
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On September 24, 2020, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced a new producer price of GH ¢ 10,560 per ton, equivalent to GH ¢ 660 per bag, for the next 2020/21 agricultural season.
The price, which took effect on October 1, 2020, represents an increase of more than 28 percent over the price obtained in the outgoing crop year of 2019/20.
Pollination
The association said that hand pollination, mass pruning, irrigation projects, the cocoa rehabilitation program, free seedlings, and other corporate social responsibilities, such as the cocoa road projects, had greatly helped farmers give the best of themselves.
He also commended his representative on the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC) who, he said, had painstakingly articulated the position, concerns and views of cocoa farmers to convince the government to appreciate the need for such increase in price this year.
“We are not only excited about this year’s astronomical price increase, but we also appreciate the government’s recognition of the hard work, passion and efforts of our brave farmers who produce Ghana’s golden pod,” he said.
The association assured the government and COCOBOD that the country’s cocoa producers would continue to be a strong partner and support initiatives aimed at increasing the productivity and livelihoods of COCOBOD members.
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