Farmers have been counselled to uphold good business management and ethical practices in their farming and agribusinesses as this could leave a thriving and sustainable business legacy for their descendants.

This way, Mr Isaac Bentum, the Asante Mampong District Cocoa Officer, said farmers would obtain good returns on their investments whiles their children who would inherit these legacies would be attracted to farming to help make it a transgenerational business venture for families in the country.

He was speaking at a farmers’ forum at Kwaman in the Sekyere Central District of Ashanti which was organized by the Mampong District Office of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).

Mr Bentum said it is always necessary for farmers to develop and implement production or business schemes, together with proactive succession plans as they practice farming.

“A good farm plan, for instance, would enable you to efficiently and effectively utilize the limited resources at your disposals such as land, funds, fertilizers and Agro-chemicals and this would help you to attain optimum yield and returns,” he said.

Mr Bentum urged all cocoa farmers to take advantage and participate in the ongoing farmers business training schools – a collaboration between  COCOBOD and the German International Cooperation (GIZ), in all the cocoa production communities across the country.

The Business Training School, he said, enables the farmers to learn and practice the right basic business skills and principles such as record keeping, accounting, among other simple financial best practices.

“Those who enrolled are introduced to key business applications such as internal rate of returns, benefits-costs ratios, profit calculations and expenditure planning, to help them utilize their resources well and make rightful choices for their investments’’, he noted.

Mr Bentum reiterated COCOBOD’s position to utilize the farmers’ groups and cooperatives in reaching out to the farmers since it is the best convenient means to engage, monitor and evaluate farmers concerns and activities.

The forum brought together over 500 cocoa farmers in the area and the aim was to provide a platform for the farmers to interact with their extension and technical officers on issues they are confronted with.

It was also meant to share ideas on new techniques and government policies as well as good agronomic practices to improve farm management in order to increase and sustain crop yield and income.

Mrs Beatrice Boakye, the Deputy District Extension Officer of the Mampong CHED District, urged the cocoa farmers to participate in the activities of their respective farmers’ groups in order to gain knowledge and information among others.

Nana Adu Adjei Bonsafour, chief of the Kwaman Traditional Area, commended CHED for the rally and urged the farmers to always cooperate with their extension and technical officers in order to improve and sustain their yields.