Govt to partner private sector to boost cocoa production – Agric Minister

The government is set to collaborate with private sector players and investors to cultivate over 10,000 hectares of cocoa, a move aimed at boosting supply and strengthening Ghana’s position in the global cocoa market.

Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr. Eric Opoku, disclosed that the initiative will not only enhance production but also drive economic growth by ensuring value addition to cocoa output.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the April 11 launch of the Feed Ghana Project,  he maintained that the government will take a supervisory role to guarantee that the partnership yields maximum benefits, including job creation, increased exports, and a more competitive cocoa industry.

“We are even bringing in some investors, they’re partnering Ghanaians to go into 10,000 hectares of cocoa production and they have assured that they will establish processing plant to add value  before they export. So we are in touch with the private sector in the production as well as the marketing,” he said.

Ghana’s cocoa industry, a major driver of the agricultural sector, continued its prolonged downturn, contracting by -21.4% in Q4 2024. This marks the sixth consecutive quarterly decline, following steep contractions of -26% in both Q2 and Q3.

The minister also announced additional measures designed to stimulate growth within the agricultural sector. These interventions, he noted, are crucial to improving Ghana’s agri-business environment, enhancing productivity, and making the sector more attractive to investors.

“In the short term what we have done is that we have had discussions with some tomato factories in Tema to connect to the farmers and provide ready market for them by deploying mini processing plants to the farmers in the hinterland,” he added.