The National President of the Ghana National Cocoa Farmers Association (GNACOFA), Stephenson Anane Boateng, has expressed serious concerns over the rising cases of cocoa theft across the country.
During the production process, Mr. Boateng decried the troubling regularity of cocoa thefts at various stages.
According to Mr. Boateng, the thefts involve stealing cocoa pods directly from the trees, as well as taking fermented and dried cocoa beans from farms.
This rampant theft is severely impacting the livelihoods of cocoa farmers, who rely heavily on cocoa as their primary source of income.
To combat this issue, Mr. Boateng is advocating for the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to bring back the passbook system, which was previously used to track cocoa transactions.
This system would ensure that only legitimate farmers can sell their cocoa, effectively eradicating theft
He emphasized that without such a system, anyone can easily sell stolen cocoa, further encouraging theft in the industry.
Furthermore, in order to make sure that private corporations that buy cocoa are not defrauding farmers throughout the purchasing process, Mr. Boateng requested COCOBOD to step up its oversight of these firms.
He pointed out the possibility that some of these companies would take advantage of farmers by underpaying them or by not following fair trade guidelines.
Report By: Adwenpa-Hene
