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18.07.2018 General News

Cocoa Farmers Encouraged To Continue Quality Production

By Abukari Ridwan
Managing Director of Cocoa Merchants Ghana Limited presenting an award to the best farmer for 2018, Madam Beatrice Frimpong of Fumso Ketewa Community, under the Cocoanect-Cocoa Merchants Sustainable Cocoa ProgramManaging Director of Cocoa Merchants Ghana Limited presenting an award to the best farmer for 2018, Madam Beatrice Frimpong of Fumso Ketewa Community, under the Cocoanect-Cocoa Merchants Sustainable Cocoa Program
18.07.2018 LISTEN

Alhaji Abdul Fataa Adamu, the Managing Director of Cocoa Merchants Ghana Limited, one of the Licensed Cocoa Buying Companies in Ghana, has called on cocoa farmers in Ghana to continue to deliver quality cocoa beans as a means to boosting industry productivity and economic improvement. Alhaji Fataa Adamu made the call on Thursday, July 5, at Adansi Anhwiaso in the Adansi North Municipality during the 2018 Farmers Premium Launch Ceremony under the Cocoanect-Cocoa Merchants Sustainable Cocoa Program with Nestle as the funding partner through its Nestle Cocoa Plan Project.

Alhaji Fataa urged the farmers to continue to attend trainings and implement what they are being taught in their farms and to discuss the good practices with other farmers who are not even members of their group to increase their cocoa yield which will invariably lead to enhanced incomes.” I will once again urge our gallant farmers: Continue attending trainings and implement what you are taught in your farms and also discuss the good practices with other farmers who are not even members of your group”, Alhaji Fataa said. He also expressed his gratitude to Cocoanect B.V, Nestlé, COCOBOD and its subsidiaries for their invaluable support anytime they are called upon.

The Premium Ceremony is an annual event meant to announce farmers’ premium and to acknowledge hardworking farmers under the UTZ/Rain Forest Alliance certification program by Cocoa Merchants, Cocoanect B.V and NestlNestlé e. Farmers under the UTZ program are given frequent trainings on good agronomic practices, supplied with farm inputs, made to strictly observe the UTZ/Rain Forest Alliance Code of Conduct, and in addition given an extra money on each bag of cocoa purchased, referred to as the Premium. Fourteen Ghana Cedis (GH₵14.00) per bag was announced as premium for the farmers for 2018 compared to Twelve Ghana Cedis (GHC₵12.00) for last year.In his concluding remarks, Alhaji Fataa urged the farmers to continue to attend trainings and implement what they are being taught in their farms and to discuss the good practices with other farmers who are not even members of their group to increase their cocoa yield which will invariably lead to enhanced incomes. He also express gratitude to Cocoanect B.V, Nestle, COCOBOD and its subsidiaries for their invaluable support anytime they are called upon.

The Chairman for the occasion, Nana Antwi Boasiako, the Kontinhene for Anhwiaso, thanked Cocoa Merchants Ghana Limited, Cocoanect B.V and NestlNestlé e for their continuous support to the farmers and asked for more. He entreated the farmers to make good use of the opportunity given them to increase their yield.

The Nestlé Cocoa Plan Manager for Nestle in Ghana, Mr. Fred Kukubor, expressed his satisfaction with the certification sustainable cocoa program and disclosed to the farmers that the phase II of NestlNestlé e WASH program has been rolled out and most of their communities would be beneficiaries of the program. He advised the cocoa farmers to help contribute to the elimination of child labour in the cocoa sector in Ghana since child labour in the industry was a blot on Ghana.

Anne van der Veen, the Representative of Cocoanect B. V, Netherlands on her part was very happy that the livelihood of the cocoa farmer was being enhanced. She catalogued the successes chalked so far by the Cocoanect -Cocoa Merchants Sustainable Cocoa Program and advised the farmers to make maximum use of the opportunity given them through the program.

Awards were presented to deserving farmers on the Cocoanect-Cocoa Merchants Sustainable Cocoa Program. In all, twenty (20) farmers and two (2) Field Officers were awarded with items ranging from Wellington Boots, Cutlasses, Mist blower, Pruning machine, Confidor, Knapsack, Fertilizer, Solar Television Set, Cash, to Power banks. The overall best farmer award, thus, Compliance to UTZ/Rain Forest Alliance standard, beans quality and quantity, record keeping, good farm maintenance and sanitation went to Madam Beatrice Frimpong from Fumso Ketewa community in the Adansi North Municipality. The award winners expressed their gratitude to Cocoa Merchants, Cocoanect B.V and NestlNestlé e and pledged to double their efforts under the sustainability program, as well as make good use of the items given them.

A dummy cheque of One Million One Hundred and Seventeen Thousand Two Hundred Ghana Cedis (GH₵1,117,200.00) was presented to the Managing Director of Cocoa Merchants Ghana, Alhaji Abdul Fataa Adamu, as 2018 premium to the farmers under the Cocoanect -Cocoa Merchants Sustainable Cocoa Program by Mr. Fred Kukubor (Nestle Cocoa Plan Manager) and Anne van der Veen , the Representative of Cocoanect B. V, Netherlands.

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