Stakeholders’ involvement key in preventing cocoa smuggling – COCOBOD

The active involvement of all key stakeholders will help prevent the smuggling of cocoa beans to other countries, Mr Emmanuel Adjei, Ashanti Regional Deputy Manager of COCOBOD, has stated.He said increasing cocoa smuggling to the neighbouring countries, coupled with illegal mining, sand winning, bush burning and other negative activities, were seriously affecting cocoa production in the country.It was, therefore, important for all stakeholders in the cocoa value chain to work together to halt the activities of smugglers.Mr Adjei was addressing cocoa anti-smuggling meeting held for over 110 stakeholders from the Atwima enclave, at Nkawie in the Atwima Nwabiagya South Municipality.It was organised by the Municipal Directorate of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) of the COCOBOD and was aimed at educating the participants to help fight cocoa smuggling in their operational areas.Farmers, Buyers, Cooperative societies, Security Heads, and other stakeholders from Atwima Nwabiagya North and So uth, Kwanwoma and parts of Atwima Mponua, attended the meeting and shared their views.Mr Adjei stressed the need to prevent cocoa smuggling this year since it decreased Ghana's production target from 750 to 400 metric tonnes last year.He stressed the need for the effective implementation of the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System (GCTS), a European Union (EU) sponsored program which was being implemented by CHED, with support from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) and other security agencies.He advised farmers not to allow themselves to be deceived by unlicensed buyers, who tried to buy their beans above the approved government price.'If a Buyer proposes 3,200 for a headload instead of the approved 3,000 cedis, it showed smuggling and must be reported for legal action before the farmer is held for conspiracy or abetment of crime', he told the participants.Nii Koi Kotey, the Atwima enclave Cocoa Officer urged the stakeholders and all community members to join the fight against cocoa smuggling as patriotic, re sponsible citizens and beneficiaries of cocoa revenue.Source: Ghana News Agency