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  Nana Mensah Konadu (in cloth), the Sefwi-Bekwai District Chief Farmer, in a hand shake with Mr Joshy Varkey (left), the Managing Director of Nyonkopa Cocoa. Those with them include, Dr Kwaku Afriyie (2nd right), the Regional Minister.
Nana Mensah Konadu (in cloth), the Sefwi-Bekwai District Chief Farmer, in a hand shake with Mr Joshy Varkey (left), the Managing Director of Nyonkopa Cocoa. Those with them include, Dr Kwaku Afriyie (2nd right), the Regional Minister.

Cocoa buying company to pay GH¢1.15m bonus to farmers

About 14,400 cocoa farmers are to benefit from bonuses totalling GH¢1,147,696 for the 2017/2018 season. Each farmer is expected to receive GH¢8 as bonus on each bag of cocoa sold to Utz Limited, an Indian company.

The payment of the bonus is being facilitated by the Nyonkopa Cocoa Buying Limited, a subsidiary of Barry Callebaut, an international chocolate firm and local representative of Utz Limited.

Speaking at a farmers’ durbar at Sefwi-Bekwai in the Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai District in the Western Region, the General Manager of the Nyonkopa Cocoa Buying Limited, Mr Joshy Varkey, commended the farmers for their hard work and urged them to continue to focus on improving  the quantity and quality of the cocoa they were producing.

The durbar was attended by farmers from all the cocoa growing areas in the district.

Premium payment

Bonuses are paid to deserving farmers for selling certified cocoa beans to the company based on premium grading by cocoa buyers on the international market.

Mr Varkey reiterated Utz’s commitment to institute measures to ensure an increase in the production of premium cocoa, that would also improve the life of farmers in the company’s operational areas.

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The Managing Director of Barry Callebaut Ghana, Mrs Charity Sackitey, explained that the goal of the company was to promote the welfare of farmers, their families and their communities.

The Western Regional Minister, Dr Kwaku Afriyie, commended Utz and Nyonkopa Ghana for the immense role they were playing in the development of the country’s cocoa sector and charged the various licensed buying companies (LBCs) to educate farmers on how to achieve sustainable cocoa production.

He assured the farmers of the government’s commitment to expand and further develop the cocoa industry.

The Sefwi-Bekwai District Chief Farmer, Nana Mensah Konadu, commended the company for paying the bonus .

He urged the management of Utz Limited to help build the capacity of the cocoa farmers and consider setting up a loan scheme to give interest-free loans to them.

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