The government plans to acquire 200,000 hectares of land for cocoa plantations to revive Ghana’s struggling cocoa sector and restore production levels to 1 million metric tonnes. Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson announced the initiative at the inauguration of a new Board of Directors for the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
The move aims to address the sharp decline in cocoa production, which has fallen from 1 million metric tonnes to about 500,000 metric tonnes in recent years. Dr. Forson emphasized the need for bold interventions to tackle diseased farms, particularly in the Western Region, and to ensure sustainable growth in the sector.
The government plans to establish plantation farms to complement existing smallholder farmer operations. Dr. Forson reaffirmed the government’s commitment to repositioning cocoa as the cornerstone of the national economy. The newly inaugurated COCOBOD Board Chairman, Dr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, has promised to reset, retool, and reposition COCOBOD as a model institution.
Sankofaonline
