Farmers receive cocoa bonuses
Touton Ghana, an International Cocoa Purchasing Company, has paid $537,306 bonus for 6,000 farmers in the country for producing quality cocoa beans last year.
Out of the amount, $232,600 would be given to the farmers in the form of direct cash and premium items comprising 242 motorised sprayers and 6,050 Wellington boots.
The remaining $304,706 dollars would also be used to run certification programme as well as establish and maintain infrastructure to manage the certification programme for the farmers.
Mr Kojo Atta-Krah, Managing Director of the Produced Buying Company (PBC), disclosed this in a speech read for him at a ceremony to distribute the items to some of the beneficiary cocoa farmers in Sunyani.
Each of the 21 societies in the PBC’s Sunyani District received two motorized spraying machines, while 1,500 of the farmers received a Wellington boot each.
Mr Atta-Krah explained that last year Touton, an external cocoa trading company based in France, through PBC entered into partnership with the 6,000 farmers from Sunyani and Kassapin in Brong-Ahafo, and Nkawie, Juaso, New Edubiase ‘A’ and New Edubiase ‘B’ in the Ashanti Regions.
The aim of the programme was to improve the livelihood of the cocoa farmers by providing training programmes to enable them increase cocoa production and their income as well.
Mr Atta-Krah said the partnership proposed to get 5,000 tonnes of certified cocoa but it produced 6,153 tonnes of which 4,652 tonnes of the beans were sold, adding that, the bonus were based on only the beans sold.
He said all premiums due the farmers would be paid at the various societies adding that, to ensure transparency, every farmer would be given a copy of the payment voucher.
Mr Atta-Krah explained that the programme had been extended bringing on board additional 5,000 farmers with the expectation that within the next two years 25 percent of the farmers would be trained to undergo certification.
He challenged Touton Ghana to look for ready market for certified cocoa beans to meet the two years projection as the farmers were committed to produce above the target.
Mr Charles Teller, Touton Ghana Country Director, said the company would continue to assist cocoa farmers to ensure that cocoa production would see a drastic increase in the next five years.
He advised the farmers to adhere to best agriculture practices and ensure that they applied approved chemicals on their farms to increase quality yields.
Nana Akore Korsah, Sunyani District Chief Farmer, indicated that the PBC’s support to farmers in the past years was highly appreciable and appealed to the company to also consider providing the farmers with chemicals for their farms.
Source: GNA