Nyonkopa, a Cocoa License Buying Company (LCB), a subsidiary of BARRY CALEBAUT has supported 500 cocoa farmers at Nkyonya in the Wiawso Municipality to register their farmlands with the Wiawso Traditional Council Land Secretariat.
As explained by Mr. Fred Frimpong, Sustainability Manager at Nyonkopa, the move is to enable farmers to continue their farming activities without land litigations.
In an interview after handing over the land rights documents to the farmers, Mr. Frimpong asked farmers to respect the lease agreement since the company would continue to support cocoa production in the area.
Cocoa farmers urged to support cocoa rehabilitation programme
Mr. Isaac Adu, on behalf of the Western North Regional Manager of the COCOBOD, appealed to cocoa farmers to support the cocoa rehabilitation programme and asked them to adopt modern methods of farming to improve their yields.
He also urged farmers to take up farming seriously, particularly cocoa production and see it as a business venture.
Mr. Adu expressed concern about the decline in cocoa production in the area, attributing it to the cocoa swollen shoot disease, and asked farmers whose farms were affected to have them treated.
Documentation to curb litigation among farmers
Nana Kwaku Nkuah II, Chief of Anwhiam who represented Wiawso Paramount Chief, lauded the initiative, and reiterated that the Traditional Council would not take away lands from settlers and that the documentation would help curb land litigations among farmers and asked them to respect the lease agreement.
Nana Nkuah also appealed to COCOBOD to urge other cocoa buying companies to emulate Nyonkopa to ensure that all settler cocoa farmers registered their lands for proper documentation.
Some of the farmers in an interview lauded the initiative, since according to them, they would now have their peace of mind to work on their farms and asked other farmers to join the project.
Cocoa Sector Bolsters as Farmers Receive Seedlings from COCOBOD
In a recent interview, the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) distributed 2.3 million hybrid cocoa seedlings to farmers in the Assin Fosu Area to increase yield.
Mr. Isaac Sarfo Afram, the Assin Fosu District Cocoa Officer of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED), said the move is to boost cocoa production in the country.
Mr. Afram noted that COCOBOD would continue its educational programmes in the communities to enable farmers to access technological information.
Seedling distribution is to ensure cocoa value chain sustainability
Mr. Afram noted that Ghana practices an integrated farming system, where cocoa is mixed with other crops. He entreated cocoa producers to continue adhering to the campaign against climate change by promoting a zero deforestation programme.
He also encouraged farmers to adopt hybrid cocoa seedlings on their farms and the youth to go into cocoa farming and take advantage of COCOBOD intervention of free distribution of early maturing and high yielding cocoa seedlings, free distribution of agrochemicals, fertilizers, pruning machines along with other inputs.
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