Although Ghana’s cocoa production fell short of industry forecasts for the 2015/16 growing season, increased investment in seed development programmes and infrastructure upgrades should improve output over the coming years. “Crop production for the 2015/16 growing season, which spans October to September, reached 690,000 tonnes, although this fell short of the 850,000-tonne projection made by … Read more
Two Chinese illegal miners have been arrested by the Intelligence Department of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD). Li Wen Qieng 28, and Mo Sin Shan 35 were arrested for mining COCOBOD’s seed garden in Wassa Saman in the Western Region. They have been mining gold in the nursey at night, thus destroying the cocoa seedlings. … Read more
The Oxford Business Group (OBG) has warned that Ghana risks losing a substantial part of its agriculture land due to the activities of illegal miners popularly called ‘Galamsey’. According to the group, galamsey activities also pose a major danger to Ghana’s cash crop—cocoa, which has been a significant contributor to economic growth and foreign earnings … Read more
Thousands of women in rural communities in Central and West Africa are reaping the rewards from Nestle’s agricultural support and capacity-building programmes to increase their yields, crop quality and income levels. The company, which relies on smallholder farmers and farm workers to help supply agricultural raw materials needed for its products, is contributing to the … Read more
A Deputy Minister of state, Sampson Ahi has defended the Mahama-led government for pegging the producer price of cocoa at 11.76 percent describing calls for a further increment as “irrational.” “Cocoa prices are announced based on the world international price. It’s just not that you wake up tomorrow and announce that I will pay cocoa … Read more
She wants to take Ghana’s Chocolate industry by storm — an XYZ Africa Exclusive By E. K.Bensah Jr The first thing almost everyone asks her is whether she is exporting — to which she answers in the negative. Meet Managing Director of “The Sweet Art Company” Ruth Amoah. She cuts an affable and vivacious figure, … Read more
Cocobod has encouraged the youth to venture into cocoa growing to sustain the industry which has over the years kept the national economy going. Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said it was rewarding and rallied the young people to increasingly take to that. He was speaking at this year’s International Cocoa … Read more
Cocobod has announced that the 11.76% increase in the producer price of cocoa for the 2016/2016 crop season is to motivate farmers and also curb the smuggling of the commodity to neighbouring La Cote D’Ivoire. “The new prices are meant to motivate the farmers. Most of the farmers were waiting for the new prices to … Read more
Some cocoa farmers in the Ashanti Region have expressed disappointment in government over what they describe as a ‘paltry’ increase in producer price of cocoa. The Deputy Minister of Finance, Ato Forson Cassiel, announced an 11.76 percentage increase in the producer price for the 2016/2017 farming season, at the national celebration of the International Cocoa … Read more
Government has increased the producer price of cocoa from 6,800 cedis per tonne to 7,600 cedis per tonne for the 2016/17 cocoa season. This means every 64kg bag of cocoa beans will attract 475 cedis representing 77.45 percent increment. Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Cassiel Ato Forson who announced this at this year’s Cocoa … Read more
Government has reviewed upwards the producer price for cocoa at a ceremony to commemorate this year’s national cocoa day in Tepa in the Ashanti Region. The new price will go for GHS 475.00 per bag, 50 cedis higher than what it was previously sold for. This was announced Saturday, by the Deputy Minister of Finance … Read more
One million, four hundred and thirteen thousand, three hundred and thirty three (1,413,333) hectares of cocoa farms in the country have benefited from the free fertilizers under Ghana Cocoa Board’s (COCOBOD) fertilizer and chemical programs in the 2015/2016 cocoa season, myradio360.com can report. According to a statistics by the Cocoa regulator, available to this website, … Read more
HFC bank has announced plans to increase its investment in the cocoa sector from GH¢90 million to GH¢198.1 million in order to further augment the availability of funds to players in the sector. The bank’s move is in response to projections of increasing yields per hectare in the sector, which presents a viable opportunity for … Read more
Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) says it secured US$1.8 billion syndicated loan from a consortium of banks to allow it purchase cocoa beans for the 2016/2017 crop season beginning next month will hit Bank of Ghana’s account within the next two weeks. “The money will soon hit the account. Normally we will have to give them … Read more
Allegations of discrimination in the supply of farm inputs to cocoa farmers have been denied by the Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod). Accusations swirled that cocoa farmers affiliated to the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) were benefitting from farm spraying and the distribution of fertilisers by the state at the expense of other farmers. But speaking … Read more
Boanna, a sleepy village in the heart of Brong-Ahafo close to Sunyani and Techiman, laid quietly in the afternoon sun with work done for the day. Women and Girls were standing under the Village Tree in the middle of the place five hundred people called home. Before them wooden boxes with yellow, local Mangoes waited … Read more
In the far distance she saw her Father coming that wanted to check on his Farm after having ensured the Truck Driver for the Yellow Mangoes in the Village had given the Women the correct price for their Harvest. As it was common among the two her Father would sit down in front of the … Read more
Olam Ghana Limited has given over 1,000 cocoa farmer $1million interest-free loans in addition to the GHS4million premium it paid them for the 2015/2016 cocoa season. Head of Business at Olam Ghana Limited, Eric Botwe revealed this at the Olam Cocoa Managers conference in Accra. The conference was held to sensitize the about 400 Olam … Read more
Head of Business at Olam Ghana Limited, Eric Botwe said the company has given over 1,000 cocoa farmer $1million interest-free loans in addition to the GHC4million premium it paid them for the 2015/2016 cocoa season. He was speaking at the Olam Cocoa Managers conference in Accra, which was to sensitize the about 400 Olam Cocoa … Read more
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana COCOBOD, James Kofi Kutsoati, has praised Olam Ghana Ltd, one of the country’s leading Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs,) for its contribution to the cocoa sub-sector of the economy. The company, which was established in 1994, has made over US$150 million worth of investment into the cocoa sector, … Read more