Minister-designate for the Ashanti Region, Dr. Frank Amoakohene is advocating the distribution of free fertilizers and mass spraying for cocoa farmers in the region to halt the sale of arable farmlands to illegal miners.

Some cocoa farmers in the Ashanti region are reported to be exchanging their cocoa plantations for huge sums of money from the miners.

The situation presents a dire consequence to the cocoa production in the region.

Speaking during his vetting in Parliament, Dr. Amoakohene recounted his encounters with cocoa farmers who explained to him the sale of lands to the miners was rather more profitable than expending on cocoa production only to gain little.

“In some areas that I have had encounters with people who purportedly have cut down the cocoa in order to embark on mine, their primary reason is the fact that there’s much more profit in the galamsey. Because when they plant the cocoa for five years, they spend a whole lot on either spraying or buying fertilizers. We have a responsibility as a government to make cocoa a lucrative one,” he said.

The Minister-designate made a case for farmers to be incentivized.

He is recommending the re-adoption of mass spraying and purchasing fertilizers for farmers to reduce the cost of production.

“We need to cut down on the burden on the cocoa farmer. In times past, we used to buy fertilizers for our cocoa farmers. We need to make sure we get back to that policy. So that the farmers can save some money that would help increase their profit margin”.

He also outlined his vision for the region with a focus on Agriculture, Trade and Unemployment.