Sustainable cocoa farming: Farmers Decry Policy Flip-Flops, Demand Voice in COCOBOD Leadership

Cocoa farmers in Assin Fosu say fluctuating government policies are threatening the future of sustainable cocoa farming in Ghana. They’re calling for legislative protection and long-term planning to insulate the sector from political interference.

Mr. Samuel Torbi, a farmer and Secretary of the Assin Fosu Cocoa Farmers Association, expressed frustration during a field visit by young journalists participating in a GIZ Sustainable Cocoa Program workshop. The event forms part of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and German Development and Cooperation (BMZ), an initiative which aims to curb deforestation and child labour in cocoa growing areas in Ghana.

Implemented by the COCOBOD and GIZ, the programme is made of four thematic areas namely: Traceability, Child Labour, Farmers Advocacy, Living Income.

“Governments come and go, and each one changes the policies. There’s no continuity. It’s killing farmers’ motivation,” he said.

Torbi, who cultivates 32 hectares of cocoa farmland, believes Ghana’s cocoa sector lacks a cohesive long-term development plan.

He criticized COCOBOD for becoming an extension of partisan politics rather than a technical institution accelerating cocoa sector development.

“Most policies now arise from campaign promises rather than scientific or economic evidence. That’s not how we achieve sustainability,” he said.

Farmers Excluded from Leadership

Mr. Torbi uses the occasion to express worry over how COCOBOD is managed

He subsequently called for structural reforms in the management of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), beginning with the selection of its leadership.

“Cocoa farmers deserve a seat at the table. We should be consulted when COCOBOD CEOs are appointed. Right now, it’s a political decision and farmers’ voices are sidelined,” he added.

Climate Change and Production Woes

Beyond policy issues, Torbi warned that climate change is already worsening conditions for cocoa production in the Central Region. He cited erratic rainfall, increased pest invasion, and declining yields as urgent problems farmers are struggling to combat.

GIIZ Program Showing Promise

Despite the challenges, some progress is being made through farmer education. Mr. Ayiku Abdul-Rahman Tetteh, Cocoa Health and Extension Coordinator for the Assin Fosu District, praised the impact of recent training programs.

“Our sensitization efforts are yielding positive results. Farmers are adopting better agroforestry and composting practices. But policy support must match their efforts,” he said.

The farmers reiterated their call for a nonpartisan, legislatively backed cocoa strategy that would prioritize sustainability and farmer empowerment over political expediency.

In a visit to the Assin Fosu Quality Control Company of the COCOBOD, Mr. Yaw Asamoah, walked the media through the stages at which the cocoa beans get to the port.

“Our core mandate is to inspect cocoa beans before they are exported. We have two groups here: officers and inspectors.

According to Asamoah, the We QCC works with Large Buying Companies (LBSc) who -buy the cocoa from the farmers.

He told the media that devices such as Moisture Meter are used to gauge moisture content in the cocoa beans., adding that they use the cocoa scale to determine the grade of the beans.

“Aquaboi (Mousture Maker) checks the moisture content and anything above 7.5 is rejected.”He said “The cocoa scale determines whether that’s a light crop or main season.

Yaw Asamoah lauded the GIZ Traceability as a game changer that will curb smuggling from one district to another