Ghanaian gospel musician Joyce Blessing, who is now into cocoa farming, says the GH¢3,000 price for a 64-kg bag of cocoa could have been better.
The musician stated that cocoa farmers are doing their best; hence, it was important for the government to grant them more for the 64 kg.
The Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC) has announced an increase in the cocoa producer price to GH¢48,000 per tonne for the 2024/2025 cocoa season.
This represents a 129% upward adjustment from the price announced in September 2023, setting the new price of a 64-kg bag of cocoa at GH¢3,000.
Reacting to the new price, Joyce Blessing said it was a good effort, but they expected more.
She argued that cocoa was one of the commodities given the country’s resources, and the farmers must be appreciated for their efforts.
“We want them to give us more. The GH¢3,000 is not bad, but it is my wish that they will add more to it. It is one of our biggest resources as a country. We use cocoa for several things. Ghana is popular across the globe because of our cocoa, and so we have to do more for the farmers. The GH¢3,000 is just a peanut, and so I would appeal to the government to increase it.”
She revealed on the mid-morning show on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM that cocoa farming is a family heritage, saying it dates back to her grandfather, her father, her mother, and other relatives. According to her, she will also leave that legacy for her children.
“My mother, father, and grandfather were all cocoa farmers, and it has been passed on every generation to our current generation. The farms operated by my grandfather are still operating, and so I decided to take up the challenge.
“I am a proud cocoa farmer, and as I grow older, my children will also take over,” she told host Sokoohemaa Kukua.