Veep Addresses The Federation Of Cocoa Commerce In UK

Vice President of Ghana Kwesi Bekoe Amissah Arthur, has stated that the government of Ghana recognizes it responsibilities to manage the Cocoa sector by enhancing farming productivity, thereby protecting farms and livelihoods and is committed that the children in the county are protected in the hazards of exploitation and also to facilitate the adoption of environmental practices that protect our forest reserves and water bodies in the country.

The Vice President made the statement as the Guest speaker at this year’s Federation of Cocoa Commerce, Cocoa Dinner, held in Grosvenor House, London, United Kingdom 15 May 2015,in Park Lane, London.

He said the government of Ghana was grateful and expressed gratitude to the Federation of Cocoa Commerce, organization for promoting protecting and regulating the trade of cocoa beans and products and supporting and safe guarding the interest of its members.

Mr. kwesi Amissah said, Ghana is proud to join them in helping to develop a sustainable economy that improves the livelihoods of cocoa farmers who are important segments of the population at a time that Ghana continues to provide incentives and infrastructure that promise to create linkages that would benefit all stakeholder in the industry Ghana .

On how far Ghana has come in the Cocoa sector he said since the introduction of cocoa into our country in the 19th century ,cocoa has dominated our economy and its also 3 percent share of our gross domestic products ,thus employing almost a million farm family’s by providing a source of livelihood for millions of our citizens in six out of the ten of the country’s political regions with 20 percent of Ghana’s merchandise export currently and with a unique culture for Ghanaians its determines the impact of social progress in our economy development.

The Vice president gave an Example of himself who has lived and worked in a cocoa farm which was for the mother, so knows what cocoa can do and the impact it can make in the area of education thus the benefits of the Ghana cocoa Board scholarship.

He said the theme for this year’s dinner reflects the prospects of increasing demands for cocoa products in the Asian region and how this demand impact in productivity in producing countries adding that China chocolate’s sales is projected to grow in ten percent per annum and strong growth is also expected in the middle part of the brick countries.

Mr Amissah Arthur said cocoa production in the middle part of America is projected to remain strong whilst global consumption is growing between two to three percent per annum and the current trend is believed to lead to lead the current deficits of a hundred thousand tons in twenty- twenty in producing countries.

He said to meet the deficit we need to invest in new farms through a climate smart approach as well as increase the productivity of exiting farms, this challenge’s he said has the potential of adverse of affecting production levels .Adding that the government of Ghana recognizes this and is helping the Ghana Cocoa Board to address this challenges by initiating programs hat would guarantee the sustainability of cocoa production in the country.

The Vice president Said Ghana as a country we have identified one of the challenges as the lack of motivation of the youth to embrace cocoa farming and take over from the old ones thus the ageing farmers so currently the Ghana Cocoa Board has initiated the youth in cocoa farming program and a number of cocoa growing communities giving seeds and to identify young men and women engaged in cocoa farming and also to attract new ones and take up this lucrative agricultural venture.

He also indicated that so far over 30 thousand young men and women are engaged in this initiative and are been supported with the necessary inputs including free fertilizer and agro chemicals for the farms in addition to other cocoa farms that have are been provided with extension services because the incentives would help improve upon their yield and income and would also make sure that these young men and women stay in the rural communities to avoid rural areas and farm instead of migrating to the urban communities.

The Vice President said currently the Ghana Cocoa Board in collaboration with certified bodies like the rain forest alliance and fair trade has set up certification standards for cocoa production and members are educated on good agronomic practices in order to ensure sustainability of cocoa production whilst at the same time they are addressing environmental and ethical issues.

He said Apart from this private organs like Abrabopa association there are other licensing buying agencies that support Cocoa farmers to increase their productivity and income, therefore increasing the number of cocoa farmers who are joining this certification standards which oversee the technical training group formation of farms and the vicious use of agro chemicals approved by accredited bodies.

Mr. Amissah Arthur said government has also been active by providing direct support to farmers, including the procurement and distribution to cocoa famers the provision of extension services to educate them on good agronomic practices and prevent crop losses and the production of good cocoa. So government is providing farmers with agro chemicals to spray their farms against pest and diseases, adding that the Ghana cocoa board has also initiated the cocoa rehabilitation and replanting program to assist farmers to rehabilitate and replant old diseased and abandoned cocoa farms.

He said this year fifty million hybrid cocoa seedlings are been distributed to farmers free of charge this he said is a program which would continue annually for job sustainability.

Another problem is he said is the pest and diseases, so there have been extensive scientific researches on hybrid from the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana one of the agencies of cocoa board which must be commended for their work on drought resistance that has contributed to high yield.

Vice president Amissah Arthur said currently Ghana is working to eliminate the worst forms of child labour of the cocoa farms and it is in this regard that they have introduced the child education support programe which is to see to it that schools in cocoa growing communities are being rehabilitated and that new ones are built in communities where they are no schools, this he said would provide the opportunity for children living in deprived cocoa communities have access to quality education in their areas and also committed to ensure the improving of the road network in the cocoa growing communities combined with other infrastructural development in cocoa growing communities which would help improve the quality of life which in turn would be an incentive for the youth to stay in the communities and engage in cocoa farming.

Present at the ceremony was H E Muhammed Jusuf Kalla Vice Presidentof the Republic of Indonesia, Mr Aldo Chairman Elect of the Federation of Cocoa Commerce limited . Rt Hon The Lord Paul Boateng and the Wife, and Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United kingdom H E Victor Smith.