A total of 240 cocoa farmers within the enclave of Aboso Goldfields Limited, Damang Mines have received support in the form of farm inputs from Goldfields under the ‘Cocoa Support Program’ aimed to boost their annual yield.
The program, initiated in 2018 is to help in creating and sustain employment in the area of cocoa production.
Executive Secretary of Gold Fields Gh Foundation, Abdul Razak Yakubu said the start of the program, 6Hundred host communities’ cocoa farmers with a combined farm size of 4Hundred and 80 hectares have benefited from the program.
This year, he said the 240 farmers have received COCOBOD-approved fertilizers and pesticides, and touted the importance of modernizing to attract youth into farming.
” The youth have a perception that farming is for the aged and is not attractive, they prefer white-collar jobs to agriculture and other related jobs. We want to change that perception, it is for this reason that we have invited these children here. There is more to farming and agriculture for the rising children to pursue,” He said.
Head of Public Affairs of CoCoBOD, Stephen Fifi Boafo emphasized the devastating consequences that illegal. mining is having on the future livelihood of cocoa farmers in the country.
According to him, illegal miners are robbing farmers of their lifetime earnings.
“These innocent farmers have ended up being in an impoverished situation with nothing to depend on upon retirement.”
He, therefore, appealed to cocoa farmers to resist any attempt by illegal miners to convince them to sell off their lands, which eventually deprives them of their lifetime investments.
