The Ghana Agricultural and Rural Development Journalists Association (GARDJA) has entered into partnership with SEND-Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, to roll out a new cocoa advocacy initiative to create a sustainable cocoa value chain in Ghana.
The initiative, to be implemented in close collaboration with various cocoa farmer-based organisations and other interested groups, is to draw attention to pertinent issues militating against the sustainability of the cocoa production sub-sector particularly in the areas of poor farm gate pricing, challenges with accessibility to production inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides, the negative impact of the climate change phenomenon as well as child labour in production.
A statement jointly signed and issued by the President, Richmond Frimpong and Deputy General Secretary, Joseph Opoku Gakpo, noted that as media practitioners with special interest in improved agricultural production in Ghana, GARDJA is concerned that the full prospect and potential of the cocoa sub-sector which has for years remained as the backbone of Ghana’s economy have not been fully harnessed.
According to GRADJA, it is undeniable that proceeds of cocoa continue to be relied upon by successive government to shore up the national economy, pay for road infrastructure, subsidise the cost of formal education, construction of health facilities among other critical areas of the national life.
The statement questions government why Section 26 of the COCOBOD Law, PNDC Law 81 of 1984 which provides for the establishment of a Contributory Insurance Scheme for cocoa, coffee and shea nut farmers have still not been complied with despite the plight of the intended beneficiaries.
GARDJA’s new initiative is therefore intended to galvanise the support of stakeholders in the cocoa production sub-sector in particular to up their game in getting the government to genuinely commit to addressing this and the other myriad of challenges confronting the sector not only to enhance production of cocoa but also the better the benefits to the farmers.
The statement said as part of the advocacy initiative, GARDJA will hold series of engagement and capacity building programmes for the media and cocoa producers from now till the end of the year.
This will ensure that the media create awareness about the issues while creating the platform for public debate on how the problems facing the cocoa sub-sector could be addressed.
Story filed by Nicholas Osei-Wusu.