Forum for Accountability and Development of Sefwi (FADOS), a pressure group, has re-echoed the need for the government to pay particular attention to the cocoa sector to maximize production for economic growth.

Mr. Harry Addo, the Coordinator of FADOS said “the near neglect of the sector has affected cocoa production considerably in recent time with farmers being the worst affected”, He lamented, citing the failure in the payment of famers’ bonus for the past three years, high import taxes on cocoa inputs and withdrawal of farming incentives.

He mentioned that inactiveness of the mass cocoa spraying gangs and low producer price for cocoa as compared to some neighbouring countries are some of the problems facing cocoa farmers. Mr. Addo, who was addressing a press conference at Sefwi-Wiaso in the Western Region, said the Forum which represented the interest of cocoa farmers in the Sefwi area was worried over the plight of the farmers.

The Sefwi area alone, he said, accounted for about 50 per cent of the total cocoa production in the country, noting that farmers’ yield had, however, been negatively affected by the prevailing conditions and government policies. “We are calling on the government to initiate comprehensive measures and also restore programmes put in place by its predecessors to bolster the cocoa sector and production in general”, the FADOS Coordinator said.

This includes equipping the spraying gangs with the needed logistics to facilitate their work, reducing import duties on cocoa inputs, increasing the producer price for cocoa and paying farmers bonuses due them to enhance their livelihood.

Mr. Addo cited how the nation reached its highest cocoa production with little over one million metric tons between the 2010/2011 crop year due to good policies laid down over the years, saying most farmers were becoming worried and agitated as the situation stands now.

“Our research indicated that some of the farmers along the borders are compelled to smuggle some of their produce to Cote d’Ivoire for better prices”, he alleged, noting that to discourage such practices it owed the government to do something concrete.

This is because cocoa remained one of the biggest foreign exchange earnings for the country and as such the sector ought to be given a priority to benefit stakeholders.