At the National Farmers’ Day ceremony in Accra, Ghana, cocoa farmers were filled with excitement as President Nana Akufo-Addo revealed an increase in the producer price of cocoa, raising it from GH₵3,000 to GH₵3,100 per 64kg bag.
This 3.3% increase, announced for the 2024/2025 crop season, follows the previous rate set in September.
The adjustment of GH₵49,600 per tonne is designed to better reflect market conditions and provide additional support to cocoa producers.
During the event, Alex Kwame, a 46-year-old accomplished cocoa farmer from the Prestea-Huni Valley district in the Western region, was named the National Best Cocoa Farmer for the 2023/2024 Crop Year. He manages 26 farms covering a total of 52.18 hectares.
In an interview with the Business and Financial Times (B&FT) after the ceremony, Mr. Kwame expressed his surprise and delight at the price increase, calling it both unexpected and heartening. He also expressed his gratitude to the President for the educational scholarships provided to the children of cocoa producers.
“In fact, this award is a ‘much coveted’ one, so I am extremely happy for being part of the recipients. I will go back to Huni Valley and work extra hard, and continue to encourage the youths to go into cocoa farming- as it has now become a lucrative venture,” he also said.
In recognition of his contributions to cocoa farming, Kwame was awarded a Toyota Hilux Double Cabin Pick-up, a citation plaque, a standard pruner, a motorized sprayer, and several other prizes.
Likewise, Solomon Tohola, an emerging cocoa farmer from Asin Fosu in the Central region, was named the National Most Promising Young Cocoa Farmer for the year.
With 35.62 hectares of cocoa farm, Mr. Tohola has seen impressive growth in his productivity over the past seven years, increasing his yield from an average of 1,600 kilograms per hectare to 4,060.64 kilograms per hectare.
In a conversation with the B&FT, Mr. Tohola expressed his heartfelt thanks to President Akufo-Addo and the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) for their attentiveness to the concerns of cocoa farmers.
“I am having mixed feelings of surprise and happiness, because was not expecting such an announcement at this time. I came here just for an award but surprisingly, the President made this unprecedented, heartwarming announcement. As cocoa farmers, we only experience such price increases during the commodity’s open season.
“The new cocoa producer price would stabilise our incomes and improve our livelihoods- especially considering the severe economic hardships we are now facing. It would also encourage more people, particularly the youth to go into cocoa farming,” he added.
For his hard work and dedication to cocoa farming, he received a Single Cabin Mini Truck, citation plaque, tricycle, standard pruner, motorised sprayer, and many more.
The National Most Enterprising Female Cocoa Farmer award was presented to 67-year-old Yaa Adjeley from Wassa Congo in the Western Region.
In an interview with the B&FT, Madam Adjeley expressed her gratitude to the government and Cocobod for the recognition, urging the youth to engage in cocoa farming to improve their livelihoods.
She manages 40 acres of plantain and cocoyam, 20 acres of cassava, 20 acres of rice, and 10 acres of vegetables. Additionally, she raises 30 pigs, 60 sheep, 5 goats, 52 rabbits, 6 cattle, and 200 local fowls. She also owns a fishpond stocked with 4,000 catfish and 1,600 snails.
For her contributions to food security, she was awarded a Single Cabin Mini Truck, citation plaque, tricycle, standard pruner, motorized sprayer, and more.
Other recipients of awards in the cocoa sector were recognized for their contributions to ensuring food security and a thriving cocoa industry.
Meanwhile, 70-year-old Nana Owusu Achiaw Brempong from the Sekyere Central district in the Ashanti Region was named the Overall National Best Farmer. With 50 years of farming experience, he manages North American farms, employing 168 workers and growing a variety of crops, including cocoa and cashew. He received one million Ghana cedis as part of his award.
The 40th edition of the National Farmers’ Day was on the theme “Building Climate-Resilient Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security”, emphasising the country’s commitment to adopting agricultural practices that effectively tackle the challenges of climate change. Its Awards Night Ceremony witnessed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo honour outstanding farmers across 16 award categories.
This year’s celebration date was moved from the traditional first Friday in December to November 8- due to the upcoming general elections and was preceded by a 5-day National Agricultural Fair, Agrifest Ghana 2024, from November 4 to 8, 2024.