The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) plans to utilize a portion of a $200 million World Bank loan to revitalize cocoa farms affected by disease in the country.
Last year, Ghana’s cocoa production experienced a significant drop to 600,000 metric tons from 1.048 million tons in the 2020/21 season.
The decline is attributed to various factors, including the widespread cocoa swollen shoot virus, aging plantations, and illegal mining and smuggling activities in the sector.
The cocoa swollen shoot virus has affected not only Ghana but also other cocoa-producing regions globally, leading to the loss of approximately 500,000 hectares of farmland and reducing cocoa output in the world’s second-largest cocoa producer.
“The board will take over disease-infested farms, cut and replace sick cocoa trees, aiding growth to a fruiting stage before handing them back to farmers.”
Deputy CEO of COCOBOD, Dr Emmanuel Opoku, mentioned that the World Bank loan would be used to rehabilitate plantations impacted by the cocoa swollen shoot virus.
The initiative involves taking over disease-infested farms, replacing sick cocoa trees, and nurturing them to a fruiting stage before returning them to farmers. The rehabilitation process is anticipated to span six years, with a minimum of five years to start economic production.
Last year, the government secured $132.8 million of the loan, and the counterpart funding will support COCOBOD’s farm rehabilitation efforts and contribute to advancing knowledge about the virus strains. COCOBOD’s Emmanuel Opoku emphasized that the rehabilitation process is a long-term endeavor, requiring patience as it takes a minimum of five years to achieve economic production.