Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the vice presidential candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), has praised what he says are the government’s accomplishments in the cocoa sector, describing the efforts as unprecedented in Ghana’s history.

He highlighted the government's achievements in areas such as cocoa production, farmer incentives, and improving the overall welfare of cocoa farmers.

Speaking during a community engagement at Numereso in the Odotobiri constituency as part of his campaign tour on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, Dr. Opoku Prempeh pointed out that Ghana achieved its highest-ever cocoa production of over one million metric tonnes during the 2020/2021 crop season.

He attributed this milestone to the government’s strategic investment and prioritisation of the cocoa industry.

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He further emphasised that under the NPP government, cocoa farmers have received significant incentives and benefits, ensuring that their well-being is better than at any point in Ghana's history.

According to him, these improvements are the direct result of the NPP’s policies aimed at uplifting the livelihoods of cocoa farmers.

Dr. Opoku Prempeh, who is also the running mate to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, reiterated the NPP’s commitment to making further investments in the cocoa sector, assuring the community that these efforts will continue to yield positive outcomes for the nation’s farmers.

In 2016 when NPP took over, the price of a sack of cocoa stood at GHȼ475. Today, following the latest increase, the price of a sack of cocoa has drastically risen to GHȼ3,000 [representing over 315% increase]."

"This is also the second increase in the year [2024] following an earlier increase of the price by 58.26% in the month of April this year. We will continue to support initiatives like the fertilizer application programme, cocoa mass spraying, pollination to further increase cocoa production.”