Ghana expects to produce about 800,000 tonnes of cocoa in 2016/17, down from an earlier forecast of 850,000 to 900,000 tonnes, the new head of sector regulator Cocobod, according to Joseph Boahen Aidoo. "We are on the field and I think I would like to be modest in our expectation," Joseph Boahen Aidoo told Reuters on Monday in his first interview since assuming office last month.
"We are currently around 600,000 tonnes and I believe it will be on the safer side to say we will do around 800,000 (tonnes) this year," he said. Ghana, the world's second-largest cocoa producer, plans to spend heavily to end an epidemic of swollen shoot disease that has destroyed 17 percent of tree stocks, Aido added.
Cocobod is also considering public-private partnerships to supply agrochemicals to farmers as well as irrigation to counter harsh weather conditions. Aidoo, a former minister and agricultural expert, replaced Stephen Opuni, who was fired by President Nana Akufo-Addo in one of his first acts upon taking office on January 7. He said he would be seeking to improve farming practices and support growers and buyers to boost the harvest above 1 million tonnes annually in the medium term.