Cocoa Farmers Threaten to Abandon Farms Over Unpaid Arrears

Cocoa Farmers Threaten to Abandon Farms Over Unpaid Arrears

Cocoa farmers in some parts of the Ashanti region are threatening to cut down their cocoa trees and explore alternative livelihoods due to the government’s delay in paying their arrears.

Farmers in Offinso, Namong Wenchi, and Afigya Kwabre North are particularly affected as they are owed for several months by the government.

The delay has taken a toll on the farmers’ livelihoods, with some reporting that their families are struggling to make ends meet. “Our wives are now depending on their parents because we don’t have money,” one farmer lamented.

The farmers are urging the government to release funds to settle the outstanding payments, warning that the situation could have severe consequences for the cocoa industry if not addressed promptly.

Some farmers are considering switching to rice farming or aquaculture due to the uncertainty surrounding cocoa production, making living very unbearable for them and their families.

“It is sad that at this modern era where the government ought to improve the lives of farmers in order to make the sector very attractive for the youth, the government is rather making life harder for us” they added.

 

Story by Gifty Badu Boakye