The newly-constituted board chairman of cocoa regulator, COCOBOD, Peter Mac Manu, says the board will fast-track all cocoa-related policies and put the farmer first.

Speaking at the inauguration of the board by the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto, Peter Mac Manu said he is optimistic of some positive turnaround for the sector, saying, cocoa farmers will be prioritized in all policy directions that his outfit embarks on.

“Our gallant cocoa farmers are happier today because they have improved incomes. However, more work is to be done to bring farmer incomes to a level where the youth of our country will find cocoa farming attractive. Our duty as a board is to provide policy direction that will lead to the attainment of this objective, and this duty we will discharge to the best of our abilities.”

“We will work to consolidate the gains made, strengthen and accelerate the implementation of ongoing policies, projects, programmes, and initiatives to achieve sustained improvement in yield to ensure sustainable incomes for our illustrious cocoa farmers,” he stated.

Inaugurating the 11-member board, Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto, charged members of the board to address challenges facing cocoa production, from timely payment of cocoa farmers to the marketing of the commodity.

The 11-member board includes the Chief Executive of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahen Aidoo; Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Enerst Addison; Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Charles Adu-Boahen; Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Yaw Frimpong Addo; Deputy Trade Minister, Herbert Krapah and a farmers’ representative.