Cocoa Farmers’ President Laments Increasing Cocoa Theft, Calls for Reintroduction of Passbook System
The National President of the Ghana National Cocoa Farmers Association, Stephenson Anane Boateng, has expressed serious concerns over the rising cases of cocoa theft across the country.
Speaking on Rejoice Amansan Ntie Morning Show, he lamented the alarming frequency of cocoa being stolen at various stages of the production process.
According to Mr. Boateng, the thefts involve stealing cocoa pods directly from the trees, as well as taking fermented and dried cocoa beans from farms.
These criminal activities are seriously affecting the livelihoods of cocoa farmers, many of whom rely heavily on cocoa as their main source of income.In response to this issue, Mr. Boateng is advocating for the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to reinstate the passbook system, which was previously used to track cocoa transactions.
He believes this system would help eradicate cocoa theft by ensuring that only legitimate farmers can sell their cocoa.He emphasized that without such a system, anyone can easily sell stolen cocoa, further encouraging theft in the industry.
Additionally, Mr. Boateng urged COCOBOD to intensify its monitoring of private cocoa-buying companies to ensure they are not cheating farmers during the purchasing process. He pointed out that some of these companies may exploit farmers by underpaying them or failing to adhere to fair trade practices.
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