These challenges, it said, threatened income loss for farmers and their families, long-term damage to Ghana's cocoa industry, economic instability and food insecurity.

Solution

To address the challenges, the association proposed support for climate-resilient agricultural practices, provision of fungicides and disease management, and research and development for sustainable cocoa production.

The association also entreated the government and stakeholders to support the affected farmers, develop climate change mitigation policies for cocoa production, and enhance research and development for sustainable cocoa production.

“Through collective efforts, we can safeguard Ghana's cocoa industry,” it said.

GMet

The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has forecast cooler-than-usual conditions for July and August.

In its latest advisory, GMet said much of the country would experience slight to moderate rainfall, reduced sunshine, and lower night-time temperatures. Stratiform clouds and cold maritime winds moving inland are expected to dominate weather patterns, particularly in southern Ghana.

The advisory, signed by the Director-General, Dr Eric Asuman, and the Deputy Director of Synoptic Meteorology and Forecasting, Joseph T. Portuphy, said, “This means many communities, especially along the coast and in mountaineous areas, should expect prolonged hours of intermittent rain or drizzle, short or no periods of sunshine, and foggy conditions that could affect road visibility,” the agency cautioned.

Throwing more light on the situation, the Farmer-General of the Concerned Farmers Association of Ghana, Nana Oboadie Boateng Bonsu II, told the Daily Graphic that the tour of the cocoa districts by his outfit, known as “Identification of Community Challenges”,  commenced from the first week of June.

Normally, members of the association went round to see the challenges that the cocoa farmers were facing and then wrote a report and submitted it to the appropriate quarters or published it.

During the past government regime, he said he personally submitted reports to the sector minister directly for action to be taken on it.

Rainfall pattern

“We discovered that this pattern of rainfall and then also, the weather condition is going to affect us a lot because when it happens like that, there's no butterfly - pollination doesn't take place, and the cocoa needs sunlight,” he said.

Nana Bonsu said during the day also, when the weather becomes cool, there was fungi all over and the development of swollen shoot disease.

The association, he said thus realised the challenges and their effect on the cocoa sector if the authorities did not wake act to address the situation.

He said the current weather condition was different from that of last year, and that this was the time there was supposed to be rain and sunlight.

“It rains more, then the sun will shine more. It rains more, then the sun will shine more.

But this is a situation that you will not even see a sunlight.

“All the clouds have been covered. I mean, it is moist also.

So it gives bacteria and virus to breed more,” Nana Bonsu said.

For farmers who have planted maize around their cocoa farms, he explained that the fall army worm could also move from the maize plants to the cocoa trees.

“This is the time that fungi gets time to breed, and then it becomes more.

Because when the sun shines too much, … it also helps the cocoa to move – butterflies come around to pollinate, and then they will go back.

“But this is a situation that you don't even get all these things around. Every place is very cold, and then the plant also needs sunlight.

At least, they are also human. They breed, they need light to survive,” he emphasised. 

Asked whether the association had submitted the report to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, he said it tried but “we are not reaching the minister.”