INVESTIGATIONS conducted by Today have it that Ghana will soon lose its position as the second largest Cocoa producing country in the world as many cocoa farmers in the Western Region are cutting down their cocoa trees, and replacing them with rubber.
The development, Today learnt if not halted will affect the the country’s economy.
A cocoa farmer from Wassa Nsuaem in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem municipality, one Bismark Arthur, who spoke to Today noted that, the situation was so alarming that it needed government’s intervention.
He explained that, the cocoa farmers were being offered very attractive incentives to go into rubber plantation “since cocoa farmers are highly overburdened with huge operational cost including high price of farm inputs especially fertilizer among others”.
Our findings further revealed that the situation was even worse in the Wassa East District, Amenfi West and East districts where more farmers were converting their farms to rubber plantation.
Apart from the fact that this would have a serious toll on the country’s cocoa production, according to agricultural experts, it would also lead to food shortage if measures are not taken to reverse the trend.
They explained that rubber cannot be cultivated simultaneously with other staple food like cassava and others unlike cocoa.
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