Farmers in Berekum appeal for upward adjustment in cocoa price

A price increase for cocoa has been requested by members of the Ghana Cocoa Farmers Association in Berekum, in the Bono Region.

The GHC660 per bag of cocoa is terribly insufficient, say the cocoa growers, and the government should raise it in light of the nation’s current economic difficulties.

They admitted that the rising cost of fertilizers and other agriculture inputs has significantly increased their financial strain.

The association’s public relations officer (PRO) told GhanaWeb that the rising cost of living is making it difficult for cocoa producers to make ends meet.

He claimed that rising utility, petrol, and transportation costs have had a negative impact on them and that the government should provide relief.

The economic crisis is making it difficult for cocoa farmers.
We can all agree that as a result of rising prices, life has become increasingly challenging for us. As a result, the government ought to take some action to help.

He continued by saying that the government must meet them halfway by raising the cost of a bag of cocoa to GHC 1,000 in order to save their position.

“We can only appeal so we are appealing to the government to increase the price to GHC1,000 so that we can cater for our families because we have dependents and times are really hard for us”.

Buttressing the point for the increment, the Chief Farmer for the Berekum Municipality, Nana Kwasi Diawuo, stressed that the current trend has the potential of discouraging young people from engaging in farming and wants the government to make farming lucrative to attract more people.

“The way things are, nobody will join farming especially the youth so I am urging the government to make farming lucrative”.