By: Nana Yaw Reuben
Suhum, Eastern Region – ABOCFA Cooperative Cocoa Farmers & Marketing Society Ltd, a Farmer Based Organization, has paid a total GHC 1.5 million in premium to their farmers in the Suhum cocoa district of the Eastern Region of Ghana.
This was disclosed at their Annual General Meeting in Suhum in the Eastern Region of Ghana under the Theme: “Strengthening our cooperative through Sustainability, Transparency and Innovations.
The Annual General Meeting brought together about 950 farmers and partners including Tony’s Open Chain, COCOBOD – CHED, Fair Trade Africa, International Cocoa Initiative, Fair Trade Ghana and Plan International.
In all, about 950 cocoa farmers benefited from the premium payment with each farmer getting paid an additional GHC 100.00 per each bag of certified cocoa sold to ABOCFA.
Success
Addressing farmers and partners at Suhum in the Eastern Region, the Cooperative Manager for ABOCFA, Mr. William Nyarko said management has introduced a number of initiatives aimed at sustaining their farmers including Farmer Health Insurance Scheme and also the Rural Service Assistance Team to help aged farmers with good agronomic practices.
“We are also building the ABOCFA Chocolate Lab to process cocoa liquor and chocolate as part of our Value Addition Initiative aimed at generating additional revenue for cooperative beyond premium.
“It’s not commercialized yet, we are still in the stages of receiving trainings and documentations from the Food and Drugs Authority” added.
President of the Cooperative, Mr. Joseph Nartey mentioned that last year left them with a lot of challenges which demotivated and impoverish farmers.
“It’s our prayers that this season goes very well; cash should be released earlier enough to Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs).
“I want to use this opportunity to thank Tony’s Open Chain for all the support and trainings we are receiving as a cooperative; we have learnt from Tony’s the five sourcing principles; which is helping us to sustain our cocoa business.
“Tony’s is supporting our communities with developmental projects like building of school blocks, supporting our kids with school materials and Free hot chocolate drinks for our kids and as well as paying us good premium with commitment to further increase it; to raise living standards in our communities” he said
Technical
On the Technical Front, Human Rights & Community Development Specialist with Tony’s Open Chain, Mrs. Maame Arko Bensah Ababio revealed that Tony’s has a lot of programmes for ABOCFA farmers going into 2026/2027 season and urged the farmers to continue to work together through transparency and unity.
“We’ve committed to sourcing cocoa through our five sourcing principles meaning all our cocoa is 100% traceable, farmers are paid a higher price, which is designed to enable a decent standard of living for our farmers” she added.
Project Lead, The Future of Farmer Empowerment for AGRI TERRA, Mr. Prince Ntim Asamoah stated that many farmers still face barriers to managing their income safely, limited banking access and a lack of digital skills is making it difficult for farmers to plan, invest, and grow.
“That’s why ‘The Future of Farmer Empowerment Project’ is helping to change the narrative by supporting farmers and their cooperatives to benefit from the digital revolution; from April 2024 to September 2027, the project seeks to supports 20,000 cocoa farmers across six cooperatives with the aim of strengthening their access to digital financial services and building the skills needed to use them with confidence” he said.
District Extension Coordinator, Cocoa Health and Extension Division of COCOBOD. Mr. Adjei Yeboah enlightened the farmers that COCOBOD will this season introduce comprehensive financial and structural reforms via the proposed COCOBOD Bill.
According to him, the new legislation consolidates fragmented legacy laws to guarantee farmers at least 70% of the gross Free on Board (FOB) price, shift away from reliance on traditional syndicated loans and restrict quasi-fiscal activities.
“We are commitment to strengthening ties with organised cooperatives to drive growth and sustainability in the cocoa sector” he added.
Appreciation
The Farmers were grateful to ABOCFA for the massive improvements it has made in their lives and through the boundless partnerships their cooperative is enjoying and assured management of their commitment to the Cooperative.
They appealed to their Board to engage COCOBOD to find a lasting solution to the issue of late payment by LBCs, which they said was posing a threat to their livelihood and the livelihoods of their families” they pleaded.
The AGM concluded with a renewed hope that farmers and their management will continue to work together in transparency and in unity; new executives were elected as well to steer the affairs of the cooperative in the coming months as old executive’s tenure ends soon.
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