June 12, 2009

Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, on Thursday charged the 10-member governing Board of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), to adopt strategies to help attract educated youth into cocoa farming to replace the ageing farmers.He said growth of the cocoa industry had been very slow and stunted due mainly to the ageing cocoa farmers.Dr. Duffuor, therefore, asked the Board to draw up programmes and provide incentives to ensure that educated youth and children of the ageing farmers move into cocoa farming in large numbers, required to grow and sustain the industry.

"The old generation of cocoa farmers has to be succeeded by new and enthusiastic ones. The new cadre of cocoa farmers should not only be technologically knowledgeable but also have all the necessary support and incentives to expand the country's production to its full potential," he said.The Minister urged the Board to work towards expanding cocoa production to enable the country re-capture its position as the world's leading producer of the crop.