Cocoa farmers at Onaa in the Juaben Municipality of the Ashanti Region are appealing to government to urgently stop a private developer from cutting down their cocoa farms for a real estate project.

The farmers say hundreds of hectares of cocoa farmlands have been marked with boundary pillars for demolition, a move they warn will destroy their only source of livelihood.

One of the affected farmers, Yaw Thomas, who owns 35 acres of cocoa, said Onaa is the second largest cocoa-producing community in the Ashanti Region and must be protected.

“Government and COCOBOD should base on the Economic Plant Protection Act 1979 to intervene and stop the alleged private developer from cutting down our cocoa trees for real estate redevelopment,” he appealed.

He noted that the farmers inherited the lands from their ancestors and have cultivated cocoa in the area for more than 400 years.

“Onaa is a total village community; what income will you gain for constructing real estate in this bush? The government needs to come in because this is our source of livelihood,” Thomas added.

The President of the Concerned Cocoa Farmers Association in Ghana, Nana Obodie Boateng Bonsu II, visited the affected community to assess the situation. He urged the state to deploy security assistance to protect the farms before the situation escalates.

“Cocoa has been declining and challenging for Ghana COCOBOD due to galamsey activities. Why should we allow hectares of cocoa trees to be cut down in the second largest cocoa-producing area in the Ashanti Region?” he questioned. “No, it won’t happen.”

He further demanded stricter enforcement of laws protecting cocoa farms and warned that the association is ready to pursue legal action.

“We, the concerned cocoa farmers, won’t allow this to happen. I am looking for the so-called private developer to deal with him under the law,” he insisted.

The farmers are calling for swift intervention as Ghana continues to struggle with declining cocoa yields due to illegal mining, climate pressures, and land-use conflicts.