Cocoa production threatened by plant disease, unproductive trees

A re-emergence of swollen shoot disease in Ghana has affected at least 17 percent of cocoa trees, further threatening output in the world's second largest producing country where nearly a quarter of farms are moribund, industry regulator Cocobod said.

Cocobod Chief Executive Joseph Boahen Aidoo said around 23 percent of cocoa tree stock, covering some 411,000 hectares, is over 30 years and had become unproductive.

"What it means is that at least 40 percent of  cocoa stock is not producing and it's a challenge we must resolve to sustain production in future," Aidoo told journalists in Accra.

The government of President Nana Akufo-Addo aims to raise production to 1 million tonnes by 2020, from the current annual output of 800,000 tonnes.

Aidoo said to achieve the target, Cocobod was seeking funding to undertake an extensive rehabilitation of farms, to be complemented by a hand pollination programme to be launched next week.

Ghana might not pay annual bonuses to cocoa farmers this year due to a drop in global prices which had cost Cocobod around $1 billion in the last two years, Aidoo said.

Cocobod said last month it would maintain the producer price paid to farmers despite the price fall. Top grower Ivory Coast slashed its price for cocoa farmers by 36 percent and reduced taxes for the April-to-September mid-crop.

"Considering the current level of (world) prices, we believe we are paying $400 more per tonne to our farmers. It is a tight situation and we may not be able to pay bonuses this year," Aidoo said. Reuters

A re-emergence of swollen shoot disease in Ghana has affected at least 17 percent of cocoa trees, further threatening output in the world's second largest producing country where nearly a quarter of farms are moribund, industry regulator Cocobod said on Tuesday.

Cocobod Chief Executive Joseph Boahen Aidoo said around 23 percent of cocoa tree stock, covering some 411,000 hectares, is over 30 years and had become unproductive.

"What it means is that at least 40 percent of  cocoa stock is not producing and it's a challenge we must resolve to sustain production in future," Aidoo told journalists in Accra.

The government of President Nana Akufo-Addo aims to raise production to 1 million tonnes by 2020, from the current annual output of 800,000 tonnes.

Aidoo said to achieve the target, Cocobod was seeking funding to undertake an extensive rehabilitation of farms, to be complemented by a hand pollination programme to be launched next week.

Ghana might not pay annual bonuses to cocoa farmers this year due to a drop in global prices which had cost Cocobod around $1 billion in the last two years, Aidoo said.

Cocobod said last month it would maintain the producer price paid to farmers despite the price fall. Top grower Ivory Coast slashed its price for cocoa farmers by 36 percent and reduced taxes for the April-to-September mid-crop.

"Considering the current level of (world) prices, we believe we are paying $400 more per tonne to our farmers. It is a tight situation and we may not be able to pay bonuses this year," Aidoo said. Reuters

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