The Managing Director of Kuapa Kokoo Company Limited, Emmanuel Arthur, has observed the recent increase in cocoa prices in Ghana has reduced the smuggling of the commodity.

According to him, the new prices have encouraged the farmers to sell their cocoa beans in Ghana to help the government gain profit.

"If you look at Cote d'Ivoire, we are all buying cocoa with one price, so whoever attempts to smuggle cocoa there will incur debt; due to that, there has been a rapid reduction in smuggling," he said.

Mr. Arthur also lauded the formation of a taskforce by the Ghana Cocoa Board to support the fight against cocoa smuggling.

Speaking at the 30th Annual Delegates Conference of Kuapa Kokoo on the theme: “Promoting Value Addition and Diversification to Improve Farmers’ Income”, he assured the farmers of better conditions of service.

Mr. Emmanuel Arthur, however, called for a lasting solution to the illegal mining activities, which he said have negatively affected the cocoa sector.

"Most of the galamseyers dig away the cocoa trees, which is reducing the number of cocoa plants, and also the polluted water bodies affect the spraying of cocoa, in which most of the plants die instead of growing," he observed.

The President of Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union, James Agyekum Kwarteng, said with the increase in cocoa price by the government, farmers are no longer attracted to selling their farmlands to illegal miners.

"We believe that in the coming years, the government will increase the cocoa price again to continue bettering our lives," he said.

He said the Union will continue to engage the farmers to protect the cocoa industry.