Cocobod, the public body regulating cocoa prices in Ghana, has decided to mobilize 132.8 million dollars to finance the regeneration process of cocoa plantations affected by the viral cocoa disease (called Swollen shoot). Emmanuel Opoku, deputy director general of the regulatory body, said this, quoted by the local press.
This amount comes from the financial support of 200 million dollars granted by the World Bank last June as part of the national tree crop diversification program (TCDP): Cocobod will take possession of the farms infested by Swollen shoot, cut the diseased plants and replace them. It will also monitor the development of new plants up to the fruiting stage before returning these farms to farmers: “It will take at least 5 years before the rehabilitated plantations begin production,” Opoku specified.
According to official data, the disease currently affects around 17% of the total area occupied by cocoa orchards in the country, or more than 200,000 hectares. In addition to this viral disease, which affects the productivity of orchards, illegal extraction, locally called “galamsey”, and the aging of some cocoa trees are also at the origin of the contrasting trends that the Ghanaian production system has been recording for several years . According to Cocobod, the combined effect of these factors means that more than 40% of the country’s cocoa plantations, or approximately 500,000 hectares, are no longer productive.
Ghana expects a 24% rebound in its cocoa production, to 850,000 tonnes, in 2023/2024, after the 683,000 tonnes achieved in the previous campaign, the lowest in 13 years. [Da Redazione InfoAfrica]
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