300 cocoa farmers receive certification premium bonuses

About 300 cocoa farmers from the Ahafo Ano North and South districts of the Ashanti Region have received GH₵322,560 as certification premium bonuses for 1,400 metric tonnes of exportable certified beans sold to Noble Resources.

The farmers, being part of the Ahafo Ano North and South UTZ Cocoa Farmers Association (AHANSUCOFA), were said to have undergone various UTZ trainings through Solidaridad, a non-governmental organisation that has been collaborating with stakeholders in the cocoa industry to implement cocoa sustainable programmnes. 

Mr. Isaac Gyamfi, Managing Director, Solidaridad West Africa, in an interview at Mankranso, clarified that ‘cocoa certification is not a panacea for solving every problem in cocoa cultivation’.

“Certification is seen as one of the tools that can help farmers to adopt sustainable farming practices, because the standards define certain sets of norms and conducts that farmers need to adopt. And certification is just one,” he explained.

He however pointed out global companies which buy cocoa have opted for certification and made public declarations in statements that they will only source sustainably certified cocoa.

Each of the farmers received a cash premium of GH₵3.00 per bag, a certificate and Wellington boots as part of the reward for their hard work and commitment to adapting to sustainable cocoa production practices. Members of AHANSUCOFA in each project community were also given one motorised mist-blower.

Noble Resources which bought the 1,400 metric tonnes of beans through Federated Commodities, a licenced cocoa buying company, is said to have funded training of the farmers on cocoa certification as a tool to promote sustainability and improved livelihoods for farmers.

“Solidaridad West Africa initiated AHANSUCOFA in 2009 as a pilot project of its Cocoa Improvement Programme with support from the Dutch Sustainable Trade Initiative looking at how a farmer association can be a certificate-holder of the UTZ Certification code of conduct.”

The project is said to have started with about 300 farmers in 10 communities in Ahafo Ano North and South. Presently, AHANSUCOFA is said to have a total membership of 5,002 in 155 communities of the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions.

Cocoa production has been observed to be improving significantly over the last three years, as a result of rigorous training of farmers in good agricultural practices. Solidaridad, noted to be in the forefront of cocoa certification globally and particularly in West Africa, is said be engaged in developing new initiatives that provide additional services to certification for cocoa farmers to sustain the increases currently being recorded in the country’s cocoa production.

Source: B&FT 

http://www.thebftonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4770:300-cocoa-farmers-receive-certification-premium-bonsuses&catid=9:news&Itemid=207 

Bad road network affecting economic activities

The deplorable state of roads leading to communities within the Wassa Amenfi East District of the Western Region is said to be severely affecting economic activities within the district.

The present condition of the roads not only poses a challenge to trading and economic activities for the people in the district, but has also been described as a death-trap for drivers and traders who ply the roads on daily basis.

Traders and farmers, the worst affected, say the ‘unmotorable’ state of the roads has resulted in several losses as a result of the difficulties and challenges they go through to cart food produce and goods to surrounding market centres.This development, according to some of the traders, often leaves them cash-strapped and hopeless -- compelling many of them to question whether the district is indeed part of the country.

On a recent visit to Suhyenso, one of the affected communities in the Amenfi East District, several vehicles carrying food items to surrounding market centres were seen stuck in muddy parts of the road -- leaving many of the traders in fear that their goods may go bad.

Nana ObiriYeboah, chief of Suhyenso, described the increasing post-harvest losses being recorded by farmers in the community as a great concern. He noted that farmers in the Suhyenso Township and surrounding villages go through a lot of difficulties to attend to their food crops during the course of the farming season, only to be confronted with the challenge of how to cart the harvested food items to market considering the state of their roads.

He said in most cases, due to the absence of vehicles to convey the food items to the markets and silos to store them, the food produce either has to be sold at cheap prices or left go bad in anticipation that a vehicle might come for them.

He therefore appealed to authorities in the Wassa Amenfi East District to help address the situation that has rendered poor many people in the Suhyenso community.

In a related development, residents of Bowia -- also a farming community in the Amenfi East District -- are appealing to authorities in the district for aid as they risk losing their source of livelihood.

Opanyin Yaw Nsowa, the chief farmer and a resident of the Bowia community, says they are always cut off from other communities whenever it rains heavily. This, he said, unfortunately often leads to post-harvest losses due to the inability of farmers and traders to get access to the marketing centres.

Source: B&FT

http://www.thebftonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4768:bad-road-network-affecting-economic-activities&catid=9:news&Itemid=207

Assist to reintegrate ex-convicts into society...Prison officials

The 2nd in Command at the Tarkwa Prisons, ASP Stephen Nti, has appealed to the general public to accept and assist to reintegrate ex-convicts into society.

He observed that the current situation, wherein some family members and the public stigmatize and avoid prisoners after serving jail terms, is not the best - as such attitudes affect their reformation and reintegration into society.

ASP Nti made this appeal when members of Mount Zion Methodist Men’s Fellowship, Tamso interacted and donated items to the inmates. ASP Nti emphasized that prison is meant to reform, and not to harden inmates.

He however also expressed concern over the current overcrowding and dilapidated nature of the prison and called on the government to help address the problem.

He explained that the Tarkwa Prison which was built to accommodate 260 inmates now has exceeded its ideal average capacity by 84, stating that the current number of prisoners is 344.

Out of this latest inmates’ population, 113 are said to be remand prisoners.

Presenting the items, Chairman of Mount Zion Methodist Men’s Fellowship Tamso, Mr. Matthew Cudjoe emphasized the importance for society to accept back ex-convicts and end their isolation and stigmatization.

He said ex-convicts deserve sympathy, encouragement and support to prevent a return to their bad ways.

Mr. Cudjoe said the situation wherein even close family members refuse to have anything do with them, erecting barriers to turn them into virtual outcasts is certainly unhelpful to their reformation and reintegration into society.

He urged Christians to do more to bring hope to prisoners and assist them to give up on crime and other evils and also called on the prisoners to keep faith with God. The Fellowship presented soaps, toilet roll n benches worth GH₵ 700 to the inmates.