Ghana Cocobod CEO Joseph Boahen Aidoo, has revealed a decrease in cocoa production in the first quarter of 2024 compared to last year.

In an interview on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, June 12, Mr. Boahen Aidoo attributed the shortfall to bad weather conditions, bean disease, illegal mining and smuggling activities being perpetrated by persons he described as nation-wreckers.

According to him, the foreigners, particularly Russians operating from Ghana's neighbouring countries and with nothing to lose, pay high prices for the smuggled cocoa beans and in turn, sell the beans on the black market for windfall profits.

“There are some Russians in Guinea.... we have some Russians there, and then Togo and they are buying, they want to buy the cocoa spot, they sell spot, they have nothing to lose. They don’t spray, they don't buy chemicals for farmers, they are not providing any extension services for farmers, nothing. So they can afford to sell spot. When they get the cocoa, they go to the market, they can sell at $10,000."

Asked if Ghanaian farmers are prepared to sell to them, Mr. Boahen Aidoo said “It's not our farmers, we have national wreckers in this country who are buying from the farmers. No farmer, no farmer can smuggle more than 100 bags. Not even 10 (or) 20 bags across the border. No farmer, because ordinarily a farmer will have about 10 bags,” he said on Wednesday.

He said though there have been some arrests, the practice if not permanently handled will have dire consequences for the sector in the future.

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"Some have been imprisoned, and you know the minimum sentence is five years, but people still dare," he lamented.

Dr Boahen Aidoo also blamed extreme weather conditions for the low production being experienced in the country.

"What has really affected our production this morning can be attributed to the the extreme weather condition," he noted.