Some legislators in the Volta and Oti regions have entered into a partnership with Afarinick Company Limited to strengthen Ghana’s cocoa production capacity, currently projected at 650,000 to 700,000 metric tonnes annually.

This initiative, also aimed at alleviating poverty and creating jobs, involves distributing approximately 400,000 seedlings in the Kpando, Hohoe, Avadzato South, Biakoye and Buem Constituencies in the regions during the first phase of the project.

Beneficiaries will also receive farmer services to manage their farms, improve yields, and ensure the success of the initiative.

Irrigation systems and a smart monitoring system have been deployed to monitor soil moisture, nutrient levels, and climate conditions across the farms, helping to manage cultivation more efficiently and increase yields.

The cocoa plantations will also feature plantain as shade to protect cocoa seedlings from harsh sunlight and drying winds. This will also provide farmers with additional income while waiting for the cocoa to mature.

The Programme Manager of Afarinick, Davida Pappoe, stated that the partnership aims to position the Volta Region as the new frontier for cocoa production, as traditional cocoa areas face climate change, land degradation due to illegal mining, and swollen shoot disease, among other challenges.

She mentioned that her outfit, which has about 2 million nursery capacity and manages around 2, 000 acres of cocoa farms in the Volta Region, is promoting irrigation farming in cocoa cultivation.

“We believe that by promoting irrigation for cocoa farms, we will achieve all-year-round production and enhance our position on the global map as the second-largest cocoa producer in the world, " she said.

The MP for Kpando, Sebastian Deh, emphasised the importance of partnership in ensuring sustainable cocoa production and fostering economic growth.

The MP for Biakoye, Jean-Marie Formadi, called for the establishment of a cocoa processing factory to support these efforts, as it would generate additional jobs and improve the livelihoods of residents.

Afarinick has also expressed interest in expanding cocoa cultivation to other constituencies to further boost Ghana's cocoa output.