INTERNATIONAL COCOA ORGANIZATION(ICCO) ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE WORLD COCOA ECONOMY

Transcription

1 INTERNATIONAL COCOA ORGANIZATION(ICCO) ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE WORLD COCOA ECONOMY

2 IMPROVING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF COCOA GROWING, COMMERCIALIZATION & PROCESSING- ACTIONS BY GOVENMENTS PRESENTATION BY GHANA 4 TH OCTOBER, 2007

3 In an effort to sustain the Cocoa economy of Ghana, Government would:

4 1.Ensure that the quality of Ghana s Cocoa beans is sustained by encouraging and promoting good agronomic practices, provision of high yielding and disease resistant planting materials, revamping the cocoa extension services and intensifying the Cocoa Diseases and Pests Control (CODAPEC) programme.

5 (1.cont d) Government would also encourage initiatives to enhance Technology Transfer in an effort to maintain quality standards and improve productivity.

6 2.Ensure that cocoa farmers continue to receive remunerative producer prices, which will guarantee that the cocoa farmers enjoy not less than 70% share of the net FOB as well as paying bonuses as the market situation will permit to ensure remunerative and sustainable income for cocoa farmers.

7 3. Be committed to strengthening her local and international co-operation with Cocoa Producing Countries, Cocoa farmers, Consumers, the private and public sectors as well as adhering to and implementing harmonised policies. Also encourage the harmonisation of international quality standards and the procedures used to measure these standards.

8 4. Continue to take measures to eliminate any cases of the worst forms of child labour from cocoa farms and to support and collaborate with partners to implement the National Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour in Cocoa (NPECLC). In addition, Government would continue to embark on pro-poor growth interventions to reduce poverty, empower communities and improve education in Ghana.

9 5. Strengthen and empower the Cocoa Farmers Wards Scholarship Trust Fund established to finance scholarship awards to wards of cocoa farmers attending second cycle institutions, so as to lessen the financial burden on cocoa farmers. To this end, Government would encourage the private sector in the cocoa supply chain such as the Licensed Buying Companies, Processors and Manufacturers

10 (5.cont d) to allocate part of their profits into the Scholarship Fund so as to fulfill their social responsibilities to augment Government s efforts. Government would also intensify policies such as the Capitation Grant, Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education Programme (FCUBE), School Feeding Programme and Free Bus Ride for School Children which will go a long way to improve access to education for the Children of the poor.

11 6. Extend the Special Housing scheme meant to provide affordable and decent homes for cocoa farmers within the farming communities and increase access to the Special Vehicle Loan Scheme for farmers administered by the Agriculture Development Bank.

12 (6.cont d) In addition, Government would create an enabling environment for banks to extend credit facilities to farmers for maintenance and establishing farms. The Government s Micro Credit and Small Loans Centre would be encouraged to create a special window for small scale cocoa farming ventures.

13 7. Pursue downstream research and development as well as promote a conducive socio-economic and political environment towards increased value addition through domestic processing of 50% of cocoa beans. This will encourage more investors into the cocoa processing industry.

14 (7.cont d) Government is committed to encouraging commercialisation of research results by Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana in the utilisation of cocoa waste and sub-standard cocoa beans to produce cocoa by-products such as animal feed, fertilizer, soap pomade, alcoholic beverages, vinegar, cocoa wine, etc.

15 8.Intensify efforts in the provision of more infrastructural and social amenities such as better roads, quality education, potable water, healthcare centres in remote cocoa growing areas. To this end, Government has earmarked US$50.00 million for the tarring of cocoa roads and provision of solar lighting systems in these areas

16 9.Continue to observe the Cocoa Producers Alliance (COPAL) Cocoa Day celebrated every 1 st October and National Chocolate Day celebrated on 14th February each year with the aim to promote the domestic processing and consumption of cocoa and cocoa products.

17 10.Promote the judicious use of land especially in the cocoa growing areas and Support the effort of the Sustainable Tree Crop Programme aimed at increasing the competitiveness of local cocoa industry

18 Thank you.