KNUST Prof: Depoliticize Cocoa Industry (Cut Waste, Boost Farmers’ Share to 85%)
Professor Robert Aidoo, head of KNUST’s Department of Agricultural Economics, has called for immediate depoliticization and reforms in Ghana’s cocoa industry. He says that political interference and inefficiencies put cocoa farmers’ livelihoods at risk. He said on Luv FM that the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has too many employees, which he says wastes resources and slows down the growth of the industry. He also told the government to make things run more smoothly. He also said that farmers should get a bigger share of the Free on Board (FOB) price, which is now 70–75%, so they can buy inputs and make more goods. Professor Aidoo also said that the private sector should be involved in buying cocoa to make the market more competitive, give farmers more power, and make the cocoa trade more efficient overall.
