Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has halted its free cocoa spraying operation in Elubo, Western Region.
COCOBOD claims the measure was necessitated by allegations of cocoa growers smuggling to neighbouring Ivory Coast.
Fiifi Boafo, COCOBOD’s Chief of Public Relations, believes farmers would suffer as a result of their own delay.
“With all of the costs involved, how will COCOBOD be able to generate the funds to pay for the services if cocoa is smuggled outside the country?” It’s sad that the farmers must face this destiny at this time. “But it’s to communicate a certain signal,” Fiifi Boafo explained.
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) is concerned that if the cartel that is in charge of cocoa smuggling in Ghana keeps up its current behaviour, the situation will get worse.
Fiifi Boafo maintained that the phenomenon poses a negative impact on the country’s cocoa production.
“If cocoa beans are smuggled across the border, then there will not be any revenue for COCOBOD, and it appears a sizeable amount of Cocoa will be lost to these smuggling activities”, he said in an earlier interview with Citi News.
For many years, cocoa beans have been smuggled illegally between the Ivory Coast and Ghana.
The smuggling of cocoa between Ghana and the Ivory Coast occurs often, with the direction of the trafficking varying according to the price differential between the two countries.
Smugglers will continue to contribute to Ghana’s crop shortage until they are prevented.
Aside from that, issues such as over-aged plants and climate change have led to a 300,000 metric tonnes cocoa shortfall in Ghana for the crop season of 2021-2022.
That is the lowest level in 15 years.
His worry was stated in light of the fact that the anti-smuggling task force, in collaboration with security groups, had confiscated more than 1,500 bags of smuggled cocoa beans in just two weeks.
The smuggled beans originated from the Western North and Volta regions while arrests were made in the Greater Accra, Volta and Western North regions during the transit of the cocoa beans.
