Hackman Owusu-Agyeman (middle) with Dep. Agric Minister Agyapong Quaitto interacting with an exhibitor at the conference[/caption] In spite of the falling cocoa prices on the international market, government has assured farmers that it has no intention to reduce the producer price. In October last year, the Ghana Cocoa Board reviewed the producer price of cocoa upwards from GH₵6,720.00 per tonne to GH₵7,520 per tonne for the 2016/2017 season. This, according to the Board Chairman of the Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, will remain unchanged. “Prices are falling so far [but] we have not touched the producer price for farmers, we are doing everything possible, achieve some economics and to make sure that the farmers don’t get shortchanged for this. “So for now, we are keeping the prices as they are. We have assured them (farmers) and this government is prepared to do that, nobody is talking about reducing prices, no.” Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyeman was speaking to the media on Tuesday at the second day of a three-day West Africa Fertilizer Agribusiness conference in Accra being organised by the Commodities Research Unit (CRU) in partnership with the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP). Addressing delegates at the conference, Mr. Owusu-Agyeman said following recent increase in cocoa production, especially in Cote d’Ivoire, the cocoa market has registered about 40% fall in prices since the mid-2016. “This phenomenon must be a big concern to all stakeholders in the cocoa value chain, especially to some of us who manage the production side of the industry.” Nonetheless, he said government is determined to increase production in the country to 1.5 million tonnes, which he later told the media is “doable” within the next two to three years. The achievement of this projection, he said, is dependent on a number of factors including: soil fertility management; pests and diseases control; artificial pollination of farms; payment of remunerative producer price; quality of planting materials; and the adoption of irrigation on farms; replanting of over-aged cocoa farms.
