GCCP: Cocoa Farmers Should Receive Minimum Of ¢838 Per Bag

The Ghana Civil Society Cocoa Platform (GCCP) has opined that cocoa farmers in Ghana should receive a minimum of GH¢838 per bag of cocoa beans.

This, the CSO said, is based on the working assumption of the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC) of COCOBOD, which aims at ensuring that farm gate price is pegged at a minimum of 70% of the net Free on Board (FoB) price of cocoa beans.

“This figure was arrived at using the lowest projected values available including a LID of $400 per tonne as agreed”, it said.

The GCCP said this as it lobbied for an increment in the cocoa prices for farmers.

It asked for a minimum of 15-20% increment in the farm gate price of cocoa for this season.

“We arrived at this modest expectation taking note of all the challenges posed by the unstable Ghanaian cedi, the threat posed by mining and most importantly the need for farmers to be paid adequate and commensurate prices for their efforts.”

Currently, the cocoa gate price is pegged at GHC660 per bag.

The GCCP believes the proposed rate will motivate farmers and commensurate with the work that is put in.

“We also want to take advantage of this opportunity to reflect on the emerging threats posed by mining (both illegal and in some situations legal) to the long-term survivability of the cocoa industry. The problem is very simple, cocoa farmers and landowners are giving away their lands to miners for one reason – money.

“They do not feel that their efforts and toils are properly and fairly being compensated hence the alternative (even if not the best of decisions) is to cash in and move out of the cocoa space. This is predominantly due to the uncompetitive cocoa prices on the international market which is reflected in the pockets of ordinary cocoa farmers in Ghana. The solution is to make the cocoa industry competitive by increasing the farm gate price to levels that are commensurate with the work farmers put into producing cocoa beans.”

GCCP also commended the Ghana Cocoa Board and other stakeholders for their contribution to the sector.

“We commend the COCOBOD for such massive steps to modernize the management of the cocoa supply chain in Ghana. We also want to recognize the tremendous efforts made by our development partners toward the long-term sustainability of the cocoa industry. We commend the European Union for their support in discussing and finding lasting solutions to the problems of the cocoa industry through the sustainable cocoa dialogues”.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini