Ghana is the only country in the world with a single cocoa tree producing over 2,000 pods – Boahen Aidoo

Joseph Boahen Aidoo, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod), has touted President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's achievement in the cocoa sector.

He noted that Ghana is the only country in the world that has recorded a single cocoa tree producing more than 2,000 pods.

He made this remark during the opening ceremony of the 2023/2024 cocoa season at Tepa in the Ashanti region on Saturday, September 9.

This historic feat, he said was achieved through the government's hand pollination initiative, a program launched in the President’s first term in office to boost cocoa productivity.

According to Boahen Aidoo, the record-breaking cocoa tree is located in Bompieso, a farming community in the Western region.

He added that this same cocoa community and others can also boast "a single cocoa tree with more than 1,500 pods, the first of its kind in the whole world."

The Cocobod CEO praised President Akufo-Addo for being the first president ever in Ghana's history to have shifted the original opening day of the cocoa season from October to September.

He also commended the president for initiatives that have led to improvements in the cocoa sector, such as the pruning program to rehabilitate old and diseased cocoa trees.

"The visionary policies implemented under President Akufo-Addo's leadership have revitalized our cocoa industry," Boahen Aidoo remarked.

"Not only are we seeing record yields from individual trees, but cocoa production overall has increased dramatically,” he stressed.

He expressed optimism that Ghana can maintain its status as the world's second largest cocoa producer as long as the government continues to invest in sustainable practices and provide support to farmers.