Ghana to increase coffee production

Ghana's annual coffee production is expected to increase from the current 6,000 tonnes to 50,000 tonnes within the next 10 years under the government's new plan.

Under it, farmers would be provided with high yielding seedlings of the crop and other planting materials.

Mr Michael Donkor, Volta Regional Manager of the Cocoa Services Division, who announced this at a day's seminar on the coffee industry at Hohoe, said the farmers would also be given training to enhance their knowledge and skills in the cultivation of the crop.

The seminar was organised by the Rural Action for Alternative and Sustainable Development Network (ALTRANET) and coffee Co-operative-Hohoe in conjunction with OXFAM, a British charitable organisation.

The 54 coffee farmers from Jasikan, Kadjebi and Hohoe Districts were taken through quality control of coffee and the concept of fair trade.

Mr Donkor attributed the low coffee production in the country to the small area of land under cultivation, low yielding planting materials and poor marketing policy.

He said between 1970 and 1980, about 13,300 hectares of land was under coffee cultivation but this figure fell to 3,200 hectares as a result of the severe drought and the 1982 and 1983 bushfires.

Mr Donkor said the total area now under small holder coffee cultivation is approximately 10,000 hectares. "Low yielding materials, coupled with poor husbandry practices and lack of credit facilities for peasant coffee farmers and the low price of the produce, contributed a lot to the low production," he added.

Mr Sebastian Tiah, OXFAM Fair Trade Co-ordinator, said his organisation and others such as ALTRANET will bargain for fair market prices for coffee.

Mr Obed Kissiedu, Hohoe District Chief Executive, noted that cultural farming activities contribute largely to the depletion of the forest and advised farmers to refrain from bush burning and indiscriminately felling of trees.

"Prepare fire belts around your farms and learn to be cautious about naked fire during the dry season," he cautioned.

He further said farmers should contact agricultural extension officers to assist them to practise modern farming.