President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to introduce legislative measures aimed at protecting cocoa farms from illegal mining, emphasizing the long-term economic benefits of cocoa cultivation over short-term mining gains.
“We have to ensure that people are not cutting down cocoa trees to mine gold. Once the land is mined out, it becomes useless, whereas cocoa trees can yield revenue for 30 years or more. It makes more sense to preserve cocoa farms than to mine the land and render it barren for future generations,” he stated.
Speaking after a courtesy call from the Ghana Cocoa, Coffee, and Sheanut Farmers Association (COCOSHE), Mahama underscored the urgent need to prevent further destruction of cocoa farms, which serve as a major pillar of Ghana’s economy.
Beyond legislative interventions, he also addressed the financial challenges facing COCOBOD, Ghana’s cocoa regulatory body. He revealed that COCOBOD’s total debt currently stands at GH₵3.2 billion, with GH₵9 million due for repayment by September.
“This is money that should have gone to farmers but is now being used to service debts,” he noted.
He criticized the previous administration for increasing the workforce at COCOBOD despite a decline in cocoa production, calling it a counterproductive decision.
“Production has declined, yet COCOBOD’s staff numbers have increased, which is counterproductive. In business, when production and revenue decrease, workforce adjustments are made.
However, under the previous administration, employment at COCOBOD increased while production dwindled,” he pointed out.
Mahama further highlighted the failure of the past government to increase producer prices in the first four years of its tenure, despite the depreciation of the cedi.
He assured cocoa farmers that 2025 would be a “year of correction” aimed at reviving the sector and ensuring better conditions for them.
“In the first four years of the past administration, there was virtually no increase in producer prices, despite currency depreciation. This year will be a year of correction to address these issues and restore the industry to a strong footing,” he assured.
