It’s shameful we can’t mobilise resources locally to purchase cocoa – Agric Economist

The Public Affairs Manager for Cocobod, Fiifi Boafo, who was on the show, explained that the forward sales strategy is to protect farmers from the hostility of the market.Mr Fiifi Boafo attributed the decline in cocoa production to adverse weather conditions.

According to him, the significant impact of weather patterns on cocoa cultivation, including heavy rainfall at the start of the cocoa season is a primary concern.

While acknowledging that rainfall is essential for cocoa production, he noted that the excessive precipitation experienced this season hindered the fruiting process, thus reducing the expected harvest.

“The major contributory factor for low cocoa production is the weather situation we’ve experienced this cocoa season

Given that, these farms are under rehabilitation and are not producing cocoa beans at the moment.

“At the moment, about 590,000 hectares of cocoa farms in Ghana have been affected by swollen shoot and so it is affecting production

Ghana, one of the world’s leading cocoa producers, has been grappling with declining cocoa production in recent years.