ANOTHER BOOST FOR FARMERS (JAN 9, 2010)

Good yield from cocoa drives the direction of the national economy every year. It is for this reason that the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), with support from the government, puts in place measures to motivate the farmers to produce at optimum level.
Through the introduction of efficient extension services, as well as scientific methods of farm maintenance, the country's annual production was nearly doubled from about 300,000 metric tonnes to about 700,000 metric tonnes today.
Last year the government pegged the price of a tonne of cocoa at GH¢2,808 and on Thursday the price was raised to GH¢2,400 per tonne for the 2009/2010 season.
With the upward adjustment in price, the price per a bag of 64 kilogrammes is GH¢150 as compared to GH¢138 per bag announced in October last year.
Our governments do not joke with the demands of cocoa farmers because the crop remains the life blood of the country.
The decision to implement a Social Security Fund for cocoa farmers is a progressive move by the NDC government to help farmers to enjoy the sweat of their labour in their old age.
The government has done the best under the circumstances to satisfy the demands of our cocoa farmers but those near the border with Cote d'Ivoire think the government can do more.
Perhaps, because of the campaign pledges of our political parties, the farmers are not prepared to compromise but to demand that they are paid something close to the world price of the produce.
It is not surprising that anytime the price of cocoa is adjusted politicians from the political divide engage in the polemics to prove to the farmer that they have his welfare at heart and so given the mandate, they can do better.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes we have come a long way in trying to improve the cocoa industry so that the people and the state can derive maximum benefits from the crop.
Presently, the government provides insecticides and pays gangs to spray all cocoa farms. Fertilisers are also sold to farmers at subsidised rates to enable them to take care of their farms properly to achieve maximum returns.
The good steps being taken by the government and COCOBOD to improve yield have not been recognised by only the farmers but others in the industry.
The efforts by Cadbury Ghana to sponsor extension officers to provide services to cocoa farmers in 100 communities are commendable and it is our hope that this endeavour yields positive results.
We are also convinced that extension services for farmers such as training and improved access to fertilisers and seedlings are critical to helping cocoa-growing communities to improve yields and livelihoods.
Although efforts are underway to diversify the production base of the economy, cocoa will continue to be the mainstay for more years to come.
It is for this reason that the DAILY GRAPHIC calls on the government to look at some of the demands of the cocoa farmer such as paying more than the present 70 per cent of the world market price to stem smuggling and stimulate increased productivity.
We know this may not be easy to achieve but in the interest of the industry, the government should find the means to motivate the farmers.
The DAILY GRAPHIC commends the government for fulfilling its pledge to adjust the price of cocoa when the need arises instead of the annual ritual in the past.
We also urge the cocoa farmers to reciprocate the gesture by producing more to ease the country's financial burden, even if the upward adjustment does not meet their expectations.