Techiman Cocoa Farmers Petition COCOBOD to Retain Local District Office Amid Relocation Concerns

The Cocoa Farmers Association of Techiman has appealed to the government to intervene in a decision by the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to relocate the Techiman Cocoa District Office to the western part of the Brong-Ahafo Region.

With a membership of 3,000 farmers across 100 societies in the Techiman, Wenchi, Nkoranza South, Kintampo North Municipalities, as well as the Nkoranza North, Kintampo South, and Techiman North Districts, the Association is requesting that Techiman retain its own Cocoa District Office, which has been based in the town since 1983.

The petition, signed by Kwasi Arhin, Anthony Twi, Nana Appiah Zachariah, Twi Brempong, and Haruna Afram, was submitted to the government and also copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA). The petition argues that Techiman is currently the leading cocoa-producing area in the region, which has significantly boosted youth participation in agriculture.

However, the petitioners expressed surprise and disappointment upon learning that Techiman was not included in the list of towns recently released by COCOBOD for the establishment of new district offices. This omission left many farmers in the area shocked and disheartened.

The petition also referenced a visit by a COCOBOD delegation last year to Techiman, aimed at assessing the possibility of reopening the abandoned Cocoa District Office. During this visit, the Techiman Traditional Council provided a free office space, which has since been renovated for the purpose. In addition, the Traditional Council allocated a 400-acre piece of land at Kuntunuso in the Techiman South Municipality for the establishment of a seed garden, to save farmers the trouble of traveling long distances for these services.

The petitioners are now calling on COCOBOD to reopen the office in Techiman, as they believe it would serve as a motivating factor for local farmers and further boost production. They are also requesting that a Quality Control Division be set up in the district to help farmers properly seal and record their cocoa beans, especially since the district produces over 9,000 acres of B-class cocoa and 2,000 acres of C-class cocoa.

In addition to submitting the petition, the farmers staged a peaceful protest, marching through the main streets of Techiman with placards reading messages such as “We need our office,” “We need quality control at Techiman,” and “We cannot produce cocoa under a different district.” The march concluded with the delivery of the petition to the Techiman Municipal Assembly, where it was received on behalf of the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr. Philip Oppong Amponsah, who assured the farmers that appropriate action would be taken.

Mr. Thomas Tweneboah Koduah, the Regional Manager of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division of COCOBOD, informed GNA that the decision to establish the Cocoa District Office lies with COCOBOD management in Accra, and as such, the regional office is not in a position to comment on the matter.