The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana cocoa board, Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, said Ghana has set a new cocoa production record with 1.033 million tonnes of beans for the 2020/2021 season.
The previous record was 1.024 million tonnes in the season of 2010/2011. This was announced at the press conference in Accra yesterday, the press conference was also to introduce the new electric weighing scales which have been procured by COCOBOD for the Licenced Cocoa Buying Companies(LBC).
Mr Aidoo admired the hard work of the cocoa farmers and the support from the government and also the management and staff of COCOBOD.
“Thanks to all stakeholders in the industry, we have been able to achieve this,” he stated.
The Productivity Enhancement Programme (PEP) which was introduced by the board also helped to achieve this, he noted.
“We also provided high quality and high yielding cocoa seeds to the farmers.
“Our research institute in Tafo also stepped up their activities and the quality control unit also did very well,” he stated.
He encouraged the farmers to continue to avail themselves of the various educational and sensitisation extended to them.
They should also continue implementing all the intervention programmes introduced by COCOBOD.
“If they do so, their farm productivity is going to change and they will continue to see improvements in their yields and better days will come,” the COCOBOD CEO stated.
Mr Aidoo said the achievement also placed a huge task and responsibility on COCOBOD to do better in coming seasons, assuring that “we want to sustain the achievements.”
Ghana is the second-largest producer of cocoa in the world, right behind Cote d’Ivoire. Production in both countries accounts for more than 60% of the volume of cocoa beans in the world.
