More than 700 women cocoa farmers in Osino in the Eastern Region have come together to form a new cooperative aimed at helping them improve their farming, access markets and resources, and strengthen their livelihoods.
The Osino Women Cocoa Farmers Cooperative and Marketing Society, launched at Akyem Abakoase in the Akyem Abuakwa area, is expected to give women cocoa farmers a stronger voice and create opportunities for them to benefit more from the cocoa value chain.
The launch brought together the women, cocoa sector stakeholders, civil society organisations and other partners under the theme, “Women Leading the Future of Sustainable Cocoa through Unity and Cooperation.”
President of the Eastern Women Cocoa Farmers Cooperative (EWCOCO), Ernestina Osei-Tutu, described the formation of the cooperative as a new chapter for women cocoa farmers in Osino.
She said the cooperative would provide a platform for the women to support one another, improve their farming practices and pursue opportunities that can improve their incomes and communities.
“Through unity and cooperation, we can improve our farming practices, strengthen our livelihoods, increase our access to markets and resources and create a more sustainable cocoa industry for generations to come,” she said.
She urged the women to protect the cooperative by building it on trust, transparency, accountability and teamwork.
Deputy Executive Director of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED), Mrs Margaret Frimpong Ayerakwa, speaking at the launch, encouraged the women to bring more young people, particularly women, into cocoa farming and help change the perception of agriculture as merely a means of subsistence.
She urged the new cooperative to become an example of what women can achieve when they work together towards a common goal.
“Let this women’s cooperative become a model of what women can achieve when they come together with a common vision,” she said.
Mrs Ayerakwa also cautioned the women against allowing political, religious, family or personal differences to weaken the cooperative, urging them to build it on unity, trust and accountability.
Mrs Ayerakwa also stressed the need to protect cocoa farms as threats to cocoa-growing areas continue to increase. She said the new legal framework for the cocoa sector provides stronger protection for cocoa farms and recognises the need to safeguard cocoa-growing communities from activities that threaten cocoa production.
“This should give our farmers hope and confidence that the nation recognises the value of your farms and the need to protect them,” she said.
She stressed that protecting cocoa farms cannot be left to government alone. Farmers, traditional authorities, communities, civil society organisations and other stakeholders must work together to protect the sector.
The launch also came with calls for greater investment in women-led cocoa cooperatives, particularly in finance, farming inputs, training and market access, as well as other resources needed to help the women grow their businesses.
Story by: Nana Yaw Reuben.
