The 2018-launched Cocoa Rehabilitation Program is the subject of a request for investigation from Eric Opoku, the ranking member of the Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs Committee.
The country has lost about 500,000 hectares of cocoa farms to Swollen Shoot disease, according to the legislator, who claims that the program, which identifies diseased farms, cuts down affected trees, and replants them with disease-resistant cocoa varieties, among other measures, has failed.
During an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, Eric Opoku stated that a thorough investigation into the program’s rollout is necessary to determine the reason behind this noteworthy loss.
Additionally, he claimed that the program’s allocated funds have run out, placing cocoa farmers in a difficult situation.
“We have used up all of the funds allocated for the rehabilitation, according to reliable sources, and COCOBOD will soon turn over the farms to the farmers—despite the fact that some of the farms have only recently been cleared and haven’t even been planted or given plantain suckers. They intend to turn over the farms once we have used up all of our resources, so if the program is getting worse this much when it comes time to turn it over, there is a problem that needs to be looked into.
Furthermore, Mr. Opoku questioned the COCOBOD CEO’s promises to guarantee the program’s continuation. “We are in the field and we know what is happening there, so I don’t believe in the assurances that the CEO is giving. The picture that is being created is really alarming.”
