Ghana may miss its cocoa production target for the 2017/2018 crop season if the weather pattern forecast by the Ghana Meteorological Service is anything to go by.
The service has predicted severe weather pattern that may cause downpour leading to flooding in the coastal zones but minimal levels in the middle belt.
Already, the number one cocoa producer in the world and neighbor, Ivory Coast, predicted that its dry season may run from mid-November 2016 to March 17, a situation that may affect its cocoa production output.
The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto earlier assured that government has begun strategizing to restore the cocoa sector into a high yielding venture and is confident it will exceed the one million metric tonnes target for the next crop season.
But the General Secretary of the General Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU), Edward Kareweh who spoke to Citi Business News says he fears several factors such as unfavorable climate conditions among others will hinder the achievement of the expected cocoa production target.
“More rains could be good for the cocoa crop but then it will also depend on the level. Beyond a certain level, it may affect it but if it’s just a mere increase of the volume of water, and the period of the down pour, then that could also work to support the cocoa tree to do well.” he stated.
He continued that, “But if you look at cocoa production, it’s not only about the rains or availability of water. There are a number of factors that will contribute to the low production of the crop. So we could probably have huge losses based on the rains and other key factors that hinder the smooth production of the crop.”
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
