Cocoa Farmers’ Livelihoods Restored Through Rehabilitation Plan

KEY POINTS

• Ghana’s Cocoa Rehabilitation Program addresses CSSVD, restoring farmer incomes.
• The government covers replanting costs, providing financial and labor support.
• Farmers see improved productivity as Ghana’s cocoa sector strengthens.

New Patriotic Party’s vice-presidential candidate Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has taken his time to thank presidential candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for launching the Cocoa Rehabilitation Program to revamp the lives of cocoa farmers of Ghana.

During a durbar organized at Debiso in the Western North Region Dr. Prempeh described how the programme has helped to deal with Cocoa Swollen Shoot Virus Disease CSSVD, and increase production on the farms.

According to Prempeh, former strategies under the John Mahama administration focused on farmers to cut down diseased trees, plant new ones, and recover all on their own.

However, this weakened many farms and made the disease spread due to which cocoa production was hugely affected particularly in the western north region where production is said to have slashed to third.

A structured approach to tackle CSSVD

Under the current administration, the Cocoa Rehabilitation Program has introduced a comprehensive strategy to contain CSSVD and support affected farmers.

According to him, the government now covers the entire cost of tree removal, farm treatment, and replanting with high-yielding, disease-resistant seedlings. Moreover, the state manages affected farmlands for two years, ensuring a smooth transition to new, thriving crops.

Beyond these measures, the program offers additional financial support to ease the burden on farmers. Farmers receive GH₵1,000 per hectare of infected land to offset income losses, and the government provides free labor to handle tasks that would otherwise fall on the farmers themselves.

Based on a report by Graphic Online, tenant farmers and landowners with affected tenancy agreements are also compensated, making sure all parties benefit from the rehabilitation efforts.

Supporting farmers for the future

The NPP administration’s strategy, Dr. Prempeh emphasized, represents a substantial change in assistance for cocoa producers, enabling them to recover and potentially increase their production capacity.

This administration, in contrast to previous ones, took significant action to support the recovery of our farmers. We didn’t let them handle CSSVD alone,” he stated, adding that the government is still dedicated to the long-term prosperity of cocoa growers.

With the goal of bringing Ghana’s cocoa industry back to its previous level of strength, the program has strengthened the income stability of cocoa farmers.

The Cocoa Rehabilitation Program is seen as a revolutionary endeavor to secure Ghana’s position as a top cocoa producer worldwide, as farmers now observe a rise in productivity and a decrease in the spread of disease.