By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Authorities in Ghana are seeking to acquire 200,000 hectares of land to expand cocoa plantations by the end of the year, as part of efforts to boost output in the sector, the country’s Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, said on Friday.
The West African nation, the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, has seen production slump to a two-decade low. Experts attribute the decline to climate change, tree diseases, and illegal gold mining, which has destroyed swathes of its cocoa belt.
The government aims to acquire land to complement existing smallholder farming and ensure sustainable growth in the sector, the Ministry of Finance said in a statement on X.
Forson, who also serves on the cocoa regulator’s board, emphasised the need for bold measures to address the sharp drop in cocoa production, which has fallen from a peak of one million metric tonnes to around 500,000 tonnes in recent years.
During his inauguration speech in January, marking the start of his second term in office, President John Dramani Mahama said the country’s new economic model would be anchored in agriculture and agribusiness. The model, he noted, would create jobs for young people, stimulate local industry, and attract foreign investment.
The land acquisition initiative forms part of a broader strategy to revitalise the economy, which the president acknowledged was in poor condition when he assumed office.
“If the economy is in a bad way, it affects education, agriculture, sports, it affects every sector of the country. So, we’re going to have to focus on stabilising the economy,” he said during his inauguration.
