Friday, 14th February, 2025
Hon Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe
Ada
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity.
Mr Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Valentine’s Day and National Chocolate Day. A special occasion that symbolises love, appreciation and generosity. This day is not only about expressing affection to our loved ones, but also about fostering unity, kindness and national cohesion. It reminds us of our duty to build a society rooted in compassion, care and mutual support, which should guide our governance and policies.
Mr Speaker, on this National Chocolate Day, let us celebrate the hard work and dedication of our cocoa farmers who make this industry thrive. And I want us to use this medium to encourage all Ghanaians to consume made-in-Ghana goods.
Mr Speaker, let us celebrate the unity and resilience that binds us together as Ghanaians. We share a hope for a brighter future and a love that fuels our ambition to strive for excellence. Let us be reminded of our commitment to our families, communities and the nation as a whole.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity and as it is a lovers’ day, let us love ourselves. Thank you.
Hon Nana Asafo-Adjei Ayeh
Bosome Freho
Mr Speaker, thank you. I am grateful. Let me first and foremost commend the makers of the Statement and also thank you for giving me the opportunity as an in-law.
Mr Speaker, it is important that we appreciate, celebrate and then make our cocoa farmers heroes and heroines of today’s celebration. Without much ado, I want to commend every cocoa farmer in the Bosome Freho Constituency.
Mr Speaker, apart from cocoa and cabbage, there is virtually no vital employment again for my people. And they are very predominant in cocoa farming. So today, we are celebrating World Chocolate Day or Ghanaian Chocolate Day, as a form of Valentine’s Day to show love. Mr Speaker, it is important that I commend the cocoa farmers in Bosome Freho for helping Ghana become one of the leading producers of cocoa on the continent.
Mr Speaker, while we are appreciating them and commending them, it is important that as indicated by all the speakers, we look at the welfare of cocoa farmers.
Mr Speaker, I was arguing and conversing with one of my friends that even the average cocoa farmer’s child in my village does not even have the opportunity to enjoy the chocolate we are celebrating today. And it is important we prioritise the cocoa farmers in terms of celebrating World Chocolate Day.
Mr Speaker, it is important that Members of Parliament enjoy the cocoa our Hon Minister is giving us here. But I think some of this celebration should symbolically mean that we extend hands to the farmers and the families and children of the cocoa farmers.
Mr Speaker, their welfare is very important. They toil; they work hard, and I am happy. I want to remind the Government once again that it promised them during the campaign that Government is going to increase their cocoa prices from GH₵3,000 to GH₵6,000. The cocoa farmers in Bosome Freho are waiting to hear an announcement. Maybe today, World Chocolate Day, they would hear the announcement that the prices of cocoa have now moved from GH₵3,000 to GH₵6,000. This is what they are looking forward to.
Mr Speaker, with your indulgence, I humbly crave that I do not intend to make my contribution degenerate into a debate. Mr Speaker, we have been in this House and majority of Members of this House have spoken and made reference to campaign and manifesto promises. They mention the 24-Hour Economy virtually in every statement they make. It is a campaign promise that they are hoping and expecting to realise. So, it is not wrong or out of fetch for me to also mention the campaign promises that they make to the cocoa farmers that they would increase the cocoa from GH₵3,000 to GH₵6,000. Mr Speaker, so if we are celebrating Chocolate Day, and I am urging that the welfare of the cocoa farmers should be looked at—
Mr Speaker, the next point is developing the roads that lead to the communities where cocoa is farmed. The cocoa farmers are becoming our heroes in this country. But it is important that we know that the roads leading to these areas
Mr Speaker, having said that, it is also important that we prioritise the farming areas and the roads that lead to the cocoa farming areas. I know all the constituencies and the districts that plant cocoa or have cocoa farmers would push for their roads to be developed.
Mr Speaker, the maker of the Statement also raised one very important issue, which is the illegal mining that is gradually eating the cocoa farming areas, which is important. All of us, as a House, should find a way on how to help if we have to incentivise them or do whatever we have to do to ensure that our cocoa farmers do not turn their cocoa growing areas into mining areas.
With a few words, thank you, Mr Speaker.
Hon Titus Kofi Beyuo
Lambussie
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the three Statements made, and I want to also celebrate all our cocoa farmers and all those involved in the production chain for cocoa.
As a medical person, I want to touch a bit on the health benefits of cocoa. I think the first speaker mentioned some of them, and I just want to say that cocoa offers us a lot of health benefits that we are missing, in term of our brain health. Cocoa releases something we call endorphins, and these endorphins modulate our mood, so it can manage depression of those suffering from broken hearts on a day of love. Some bit of cocoa can give you a very good mood, so we are encouraged to consume a lot of dark chocolate.
Polyphenols from cocoa is cardio protective, helps in antiinflammatory effects, can protect against cancers, give us very beautiful skin, and control blood pressure and blood sugar. It is, therefore, very important that we encourage the consumption of cocoa. I would encourage that public functions have cocoa breaks, instead of coffee breaks, and we should encourage the consumption of cocoa during such events.
Mr Speaker, I would want to, since today is also Valentine’s Day, wish my beloved wife, Dr (Mrs) Vera Beyuo, who I believe is at the Eye Clinic at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital operating now, a Happy Valentine’s Day and a Happy Chocolate Day, and say that we should all love, and let us consume enough Ghanaian chocolate and cocoa for all the health benefits. The Hon Member is asking me to say that cocoa can promote libido. I have not said that.
Thank you very much.
Hon Gloria Owusu
Trobu
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity. I rise to support the Statement made by our Colleagues. Mr Speaker, as today is Valentine’s Day, we are expecting our men in this House, who are our Brothers, our backbones to show us some love. They should give a row of flowers and some chocolates to all the females in this House. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Hon Anthony Mwinkaara Sumah
Nadowli/Kaleo
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Statements made by my Colleagues and let me commend them for the Statements they have made.
Mr Speaker, today is a day that is severely characterised: Chocolate Day, day of love. I was particularly enthused when two of them mentioned that we should show love to the less privileged. Chocolate Day or a day of love should not be love we just share with our loved ones. The good Book teaches us that if we do good to people who do good back to us, what benefit do we get? And we have less privilege amongst us.
Mr Speaker, this House is particularly pushing, uniquely, to be able to influence or affect the lives of the less privileged. I was happy when I chanced on a video by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Mental Health Authority who made a comment about using this day to show love to people suffering from some form of mental illness. I think that this month, February, in this particular day, we should look at the less privileged, particularly people suffering from mental health.
The World Health report said that about 2.3 million Ghanaians are suffering from some form of mental illness. And the Chief Psychiatrist also once said that over 700,000 people in this country are suffering from some form of severe mental illness. That is a significant proportion of our population. So, today presents a unique opportunity, in particular that the Mental Health Authority celebrates this day and this month as Mental Health Month, and I think that we should dedicate some time for mental health in this Chamber.
Mr Speaker, “the success or greatness of a society”, if I will refer to Mahatma Gandhi, “is measured by how we treat the weakest in the society”. Let us not reduce this day to showing love to those that can show us love back. Let us think of those who do not have the ability or the means to show us love back. And talking about this, as I indicated, we have a very unique opportunity to affect the lives of these people. This House passed a Bill, the Mental Health Act, and, in that Act, we indicated that there should be a Mental Health Fund to help deal with mental health issues in this country. As I speak to you, that has not found expression yet.
I had the opportunity one time to question the Minister for Health on why we were not having the fund established and he said that they were doing the necessary legislative work to get the fund established. Yet it is not. So, on this day, I want to be brief about this but to say that let us look at the other perspective.
Let us use this unique opportunity, particularly in February, to affect the life of people living with mental health challenges. This is because by the proportions that have been put out, it is very possible that even sitting here, we have people who are suffering from mental health. We all somehow have persons living with us or relations that have some mental health challenges.
So today, I want to appeal to all my Colleagues and everyone listening to us, that let us use this opportunity to share the chocolates with people suffering from some form of mental health challenges.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.
Hon Korkor Laurette Asante
Atiwa West
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity.
As we all know, Ghana is the second largest producer of cocoa in the world. Cocoa is a major contributor to the economy. However, it does have some challenges: climate change, unpredictable weather, and also pests and diseases. So, I would like to take this opportunity today, as we are all munching the chocolates and enjoying the result of our cocoa farmers, to say that the Minister for Food and Agriculture should continue the support that the NPP Government was providing to all the cocoa farmers in that sector. So, I hope and pray that that support will continue to all cocoa farmers.
In my Constituency in Atiwa West, in the towns of Muoso, Kwabeng, Abomosu, and Nkurakan, Akyem Akropong, Tumfa, Pameng, and all the other towns in Atiwa West, we have thousands of cocoa farmers who toil every day and produce excellent beans. Everywhere in the world, it is well known that the Ghanaian cocoa bean is excellent in terms of the way that it is naturally dried and the process it goes through. So, I would like to take this opportunity today to thank all the farmers in Atiwa West for their contribution to the economy and for making cocoa available to produce such excellent products and the chocolates that we are enjoying today. So, thank you to all the farmers, especially Atiwa West, and to all the farmers in Ghana.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Hon Sampson Ahi
Bodi
Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to contribute to the three Statements made by our Colleagues.
I think today is a special day and let me take this opportunity to wish all women in the Bodi Constituency a Happy Valentine’s Day, and by extension, all women in Ghana particularly women in this Chamber, a Happy Valentine’s Day.
Mr Speaker, in all the Statements we are encouraged to consume more chocolate. I want to take it through the dimension of creating jobs when we eat a lot of chocolate. We have the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) which is responsible for producing chocolate. The more we eat chocolate, we create jobs and opportunities for Ghanaians. We support the company to grow so that people can earn their livelihood.
Mr Speaker, I have observed one thing and I want to make a recommendation. Any time we attend conferences, on the programme, we see coffee break. Today, as we are being encouraged to eat chocolate, I want to recommend that henceforth, on the programme of all our conferences, we should rather have cocoa break instead of coffee break, so that we will be encouraged to inculcate the consumption of cocoa in our people.
Mr Speaker, during the tenure of President John Evans Atta-Mills, he initiated a lot of cocoa roads programmes. When he left office, cocoa roads that were supposed to be constructed were abandoned. If one goes to my Constituency for instance, cocoa roads from Bodi to Ahibenso was abandoned. Cocoa roads from Amuoya to Kelo was abandoned and I want to believe—
Mr Speaker, but we have been assured in our manifesto that President Mahama’s Government is going to continue the construction of cocoa roads in cocoa growing areas to support cocoa farmers so that it will improve their economy and support them to do more so that Ghana can get more cocoa for export. Cocoa has supported the economy of Ghana for a long time, and it is about time we took into account those who grow cocoa and support them. Mr Speaker, there are a lot of agricultural incentives that COCOBOD offers to cocoa farmers. It supplies them with farm inputs, chemicals, and so on and so forth.
I want to believe that as we celebrate the Chocolate Day today, President John Dramani Mahama, who introduced most of these farm practices will continue, so cocoa farmers—
Mr Speaker, let me conclude and say that, all of us must embrace this important day, so it becomes part and parcel of us and not to only buy or eat chocolate when it is Valentine’s or Chocolate Day. But we should make it a part of us, so that day in and day out we try to buy chocolate. This will improve our health as it has been stated by some of the medical doctors, and highlighted by the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry on the health benefits of eating cocoa. Mr Speaker, with these few words, I want to thank you and wish all of us a Happy Valentine’s Day.
Thank you for the opportunity.
Hon Stephen Amoah
Nhyiaeso
Mr Speaker, thank you so much for the opportunity.
Mr Speaker, I would like to place emphasis on a few selected extracts from the good books, the Bible and the Qur’an about love, since we are talking about love, chocolate and anything that will unify us as a House to build this country with one purpose. In 1 John 4:8, 1 John 4:16, 1 Corinthians 13:13, Qur’an 85:14, they all talk about the fact that God is love. Even when it comes to hope, faith, and love, the Bible says that “love overrides all these virtues.” Today is a special day that as Parliamentarians, we need to have a special segment of our time resource to ponder over a lot of issues, to redefine a new relationship between Minority and Majority, and treat certain national issues with love that would benefit the young ones out there.
Mr Speaker, today is a day that all of us should develop a new form of love for the poor children out there. Our love should be shown and illustrated in what we say here, what we do in our various offices as Parliamentarians and Appointees—The resources that the State gives us and the kind of comments we make. Love is not just by words, but by actions. So, I say that for today, I extend my special love to all the wives of the cocoa farmers in our country, to all the former and the present First Lady and to all our beautiful women here, both in the Minority and Majority.
Mr Speaker, this is not about whether or not I am married. I know marriage is important, but Ecclesiastes says that “there is time for everything”. So let us take our time.
Mr Speaker, I think this destructive interference of waves would impair the flow of the conversation when it comes to love. I admonish Members to take their time. I can assure them that at the appropriate time, I will laugh. But before I sit down, allow me to extend this to my 100-year-old mother these wishes. She does not understand the English Language. So, with your indulgence, mepɛ sɛ me ka kyerɛ me maame sɛ me dɔ no, na me wishie no Happy Valentine’s Day.
The last thing I want to say is that— My Brother from the other Side, we are not debating but I want to assure him that with the continuity that they want, we will support them to continue growing and expanding all factors that will ensure that our cocoa farmers and cocoa industry will expand. But I want him to understand that in the last eight years, we did about 70,000 acres or hectors—I think we are already through with about 40,000 acres or hectares. So, it is something that they would continue. I know Hon Eric Opoku is a good man and also very intelligent, and would continue that—
Mr Speaker, apart from that, may God bless Ghana and shower his blessings upon us. Let us love each other now and begin a new wave of love that the outsiders would follow us.
God bless you and God bless Ghana. Thank you.
Hon Felicia Adjei
Kintampo South
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity—
Yes, Mr Speaker. Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement made by our Ministers and the Deputy Majority Whip. Mr Speaker, once we are acknowledging the importance of Ghana’s cocoa contribution to the economy on a special day like this, let us not forget about our farmers who produce the cocoa. I watched a documentary on Cable News Network (CNN) titled The Coconomics in which a farmer could not even recognise chocolate. On this day, I wish to tell and appeal to our Leaders and Ministers to find a way to reach out to the farmers on a day like this to also enjoy the taste of cocoa.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity.
Hon Akwasi Gyamfi Onyina-Acheampong
Kwabre East
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to today’s discussion.
The National Chocolate Day is a very important day since it also doubles as Valentine’s Day, which is a day of love. I would like to extend my heartfelt love to the good people of Kwabre East and also by extension to all the women and market women of Kwabre East. In the same spirit as yourself, I would like to also extend my heartfelt love and a Happy Valentine’s Day to my beautiful
wife, Adiepena Akosua Serwaah Oduro Gyamfi and also to my mother on this august day. Mr Speaker, they said I should say it louder and clearly. So, to my beautiful wife, Adiepena Akosua Serwah Oduro Gyamfi, I wish to extend my heartfelt love on this day.
Mr Speaker, we cannot talk about National Chocolate Day without talking about cocoa. Cocoa plays an important role in the daily economics of this country and we know that cocoa has been an important cash crop to Ghana. By far, Ghana is touted as producing premium cocoa, which is of high quality. However, the farmers and all the people in the value chain, in my opinion, are not being looked at critically. As a country, we have to celebrate our heroes and these gallant farmers by looking at a few areas that I would like us to go through.
Mr Speaker, for instance, in the area of pensions. Cocoa farmers go through all these daily hassles of planting, harvesting, fermenting, and bringing the produce to the mats to dry them. Even to the extent that, they go through a serious process at the stage where they are about to sell because some of these purchasing clerks have adjusted their skills so much that it is to the detriment of the cocoa farmer. So, we need to recognise them. At the end of the day, after they have gone through all this and have retired after 60 or 70 years, and are no longer able to go to the farms and produce, there is no pension for them. If we take a look at a cocoa farmer who has planted cocoa for about 20 to 40 years and has gone into pension, it is quite an eyesore.
Mr Speaker, another issue that we have to also concentrate on is illegal mining. Our yield has been dropping for the past three years because of the encroachments of illegal miners on our cocoa farms. It gets to a point where farmers, who are not willing to cede their farms to illegal miners, are forced to give up their farms because of the illicit operations. This is to the extent that it gets to a point where they cannot even get access to their farms. We need to ensure that this thing is stopped. Otherwise, in the near future, we are going to have a situation that will be at the detriment of farmers and Ghana’s cocoa yield will fall drastically.
Mr Speaker, let us have a look at our input and also the improvement of yields. There have been some programmes like, Cocoa Rehabilitation Programme, and the Cocoa Hand Pollination that was started by the previous Government. These were very important catalysts that were leading to improving and increasing the production of cocoa. Mr Speaker, we need to go back to these basics and ensure that—We also had the cocoa mass spraying, and all those things, so we need to go back to these basics.
Mr Speaker, in conclusion, the price of cocoa now in the world market is around US$10,000 per tonne, and we are in the right space to ensure that we give enough to our farmers. Mr Speaker, let us also concentrate on sustainability. I thank you so much.
Hon Eric Afful
Amenfi West
Mr Speaker, let me thank you for the opportunity to make a contribution to the three Statements that have been made today on the Floor.
First of all, let me wish all Ghanaians a Happy Chocolate Day and Valentine’s Day as well. Most of you should go to the Amenfi West Constituency like the Samreboi Cocoa District and Asankragua Cocoa District. Let me put on record that out of the 276 constituencies, my Constituency leads in the cocoa production in this country. So, I use this occasion to wish them well, bless them, and to tell them that most of their problems, with respect to cocoa production in this country, most especially Amenfi West, will be solved as early as possible.
Mr Speaker, with respect to cocoa roads, I know I have been asked a lot of Questions when I was sitting there—
Mr Speaker, free supply of fertiliser will be in place. There will be enough chemicals for cocoa mass production and the price of cocoa as well.
Mr Speaker, the reason I stood up is to let us use this day to revamp the internal marketing of cocoa in this country. I am talking about the license buying companies. Most of them are down because of how they were treated by the previous Governments. As we speak, Produce Buying Company (PBC), Federated Commodities PLC (FEDCO), Adwumapa Buyers Ltd, and Cocoa Merchants Ghana Limited are all down.
Mr Speaker, what is more particular about this is that these licenced buying cocoa companies help to grow the rural economy in this country. So, when they are down, it means that the rural economy is broken. Let us use this day to revamp the cocoa sector and the internal marketing of cocoa. Most of the cocoa employees are now at home, unemployed. Let us look at PBC now.
Mr Speaker, I will not speak so much, but to say that we should use this day to revamp the internal marketing of cocoa, so that our rural economy will grow.
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity
Mr Tweneboa Kodua Fokuo (NPP — Manso Nkwanta): Mr Speaker, I will use this opportunity to extend my greetings to the good people of Manso Nkwanta, many of whom are cocoa farmers, and I am sure they are watching me. They have been watching our programmes these days.
Mr Speaker, I also take this opportunity to confidently extend my love to my beautiful wife, Belinda Fokuo, who is a staff of Bank of Africa. I know some are not happy. Belinda Fokuo, my regards to you; I love you so much— [Some Hon Members: Eii!] Mr Speaker, Valentine's Day has come to stay and even the anticipation of it is just exciting. When the 14th of February is getting close, the news, media space, and everywhere gets exciting. So, just anticipating it gets interesting.
Mr Speaker, allow me to use this opportunity to also commend our legend, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, for rebranding Valentine’s Day as National Chocolate Day. That was a great innovation and I commend him for that.
I would want to ask that the people of Ghana to use this day to do other things besides the love of sharing chocolates and exchanging pleasantries. Could we look at using this day of love to call for the feuding factions in areas where we have hostility in this country to consider this day of love to lay down their arms? At least, on the day that we celebrate love, can they sit face to face or mediate to bring peace to the pockets of areas where we have challenges in this country? Be it Bawku, Hohoe or wherever we have challenges. Could we use the benefit of this beautiful day to bring peace in these pockets of areas?
Again, Mr Speaker, on being intentional with this day, just like we have had the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts do its best to rebrand Christmas in Ghana as a day for people across the world to come and spend Christmas with us here.
Could we look at doing a similar thing so that Ghana, which is the second largest producer of cocoa, becomes a hub for chocolates during Valentine’s Day. So that people around the world will be excited that on the 14th of February, they can go to Ghana to enjoy chocolate. And it should be chocolate that is made in Ghana.
Mr Speaker, what I am saying is, let us be intentional with it. If Germany has what we call “Oktoberfest” where people go sit together to drink beer, and this attracts tourists around the world, then Ghana, which has this commodity with all its health benefits, could rebrand it to also make Ghana a hub for chocolate. And we can also have a Chocolate-fest, just like Germany has the “Oktoberfest”. Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity.
Hon Laadi Ayii Ayamba
Pusiga
Congratulations and bye-bye to all those who take chocolate.
Mr Speaker, Hon Members have seen that I have continuously tried to come up and say something about chocolate. I have overheard some Colleagues just jokingly say that I do not produce cocoa in the Northern sector or something. But suffice it to say, we are talking
I am only making it some fun for us to all enjoy it, because today is a day that we should all be happy and cherish one another.
Mr Speaker, originally it was called St Valentine’s Day, and it has been used for so many other things. In this same Chamber, around 2015 and 2016, we discussed and agreed that we would also incorporate something that would move Ghana forward and enhance our economic values. So, what we discussed was our chocolate.
Mr Speaker, let us ask ourselves, what have we done since then to actually ensure that we implement the discussions that we had? There are a lot of people in this country, especially the Northern sector—Upper East, Upper West, Northern region, and what have you. They do not even know how the cocoa pod is, not to talk of the beans, and whatever we can get out of it like chocolate.
We had agreed that due to the benefits of chocolate, we would let students have a feel of it through school feeding, even if it is half a bar, so that they would have a feel and see what is referred to as chocolate. We should be able to do that even if it is once a week. We said all these things; we have not done any of it. We continuously carry our cocoa out. Sometimes we hear about trafficking of cocoa, that is, carrying it out, and we want to get value, money and economic benefits from it? I think we need to rethink and make sure that our factories work more and that our children grow to appreciate what we are talking about.
We are lucky, especially some of us from where cocoa is not grown, but I know that there are people or some people from the cocoa growing areas who have never tasted chocolate. This is because the cost of a bar of chocolate on the market, like what has been distributed here, is so high that individuals around there who do not have that money may use that money for ingredients and other things rather than buy chocolate. What are we doing about it? Are we going to ensure that not only the cocoa growing areas, but also other areas that cocoa is not grown—On days like this, our farmers, especially the women and children, have a feel of it.
Colleagues have mentioned the love that we need to show on this day. That love is not the way people have perceived it today, like running around and saying, excuse my language, “my boyfriend has not given me this, my husband has not given me that.” No, it is a love that we need to show to individuals who do not have that opportunity. Let us go out there; let us see what is happening, especially those who have mental problems, as mentioned earlier. If we go out there, it is a pity. Some of them stand like stooges; some of them walk and fall. One simply does not understand. Let us extend that love to them and share whatever we have today with them. I think it will go a long way to help all of us to realise what is referred to as St Valentine’s Day.
With this, Mr Speaker, I extend my love to all my Colleagues in this Parliament, both men and women, all Ghanaians, and everyone alive. With St Valentine, we love everyone, and I wish us all the best. And for this day, we live together and then we share together.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
Hon Nurideen Muhammed Mumuni
Nalerigu/Gambaga
Mr Speaker, thank you very much for this opportunity.
I would like to first of all use the opportunity to thank the maker of the Statement and also wish my constituents, that is Nalerigu/Gambaga a Happy Chocolate Day. Mr Speaker, Ghana is seen as the second largest producer of cocoa, but if one goes to some of these cocoa producing communities, one would realise that these communities are lacking basic amenities.
The poor farmer who goes to the farm every day, works day and night to get the cocoa beans, the children of the poor farmer and the poor farmer himself or herself does not get the basic amenities to enjoy in the community. Basic amenities like water. When one goes to some of these cocoa producing communities, good drinking water is a problem for some of these farmers. One would also realise that the children of cocoa farmers do not go to school because in some of these communities, one cannot even find a primary school for the cocoa farmer’s child to go. Mr Speaker, as a country, we have to look at that aspect to improve the life of the cocoa farmer and their families.
Mr Speaker, one can look at the contribution that this industry is making to our economic growth, but a lot of it is going through illegal means, that is smuggling. A lot of our cocoa beans have been smuggled. So, I would like to call on the relevant authorities, especially the Ghana Cocoa Board and the security agencies to take this seriously. If not, day in day out, cocoa is being smuggled out of the country.
Mr Speaker, if we also look at the price of cocoa products, it is making it difficult for the ordinary Ghanaian to enjoy the cocoa products. Mr Speaker, this one [raises a bar of chocolate], in certain shops, they sell this for GH₵20. Some sell it for GH₵18. Mr Speaker, how can the poor man on the streets afford GH₵20 on this particular day to enjoy this particular chocolate? As a country, we have to look at this aspect and add value to our cocoa products before exporting. Because for some of this chocolate, the cocoa beans would be exported outside, the chocolate would be produced and it would be imported back to us. At the end of the day, the price would be so high for the ordinary Ghanaian to purchase.
Mr Speaker, I would like to call on the Hon Minister for Agriculture to also look at the other sectors of the economy, that is the shea nuts. In as much as we are talking about cocoa, if one goes to the northern part of the country, that is, Savannah Region, Upper East, Upper West, and Northeast Region, especially my Constituency, Nalerigu-Gambaga Constituency, there are a lot of shea trees there. But attention has not been paid to the shea trees.
I would want to call on the Minister for Agriculture and the relevant authorities. Let us give attention to this particular sector. It is a sector in which a lot of women are involved, and most women are very vulnerable. But when we give attention to this sector, these women would get better living conditions by engaging in the shea industry.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
Hon Daniel Keshi Bessey
Sege
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Statements ably made by the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry; the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts; and then the First Deputy Majority Whip on the Valentine’s Day and the Chocolate Day.
Mr Speaker, we have to re-look at the celebration of the day like this because the youth of Ghana are giving a different meaning to the originality of the day, which we are forcefully celebrating now in this nature. Unfortunately, the youth of today see Valentine’s Day as a day of slaughtering something without a name. By the end of the day—The day ends up slaughtering them and they go nowhere. You would not be surprised that, by tomorrow and a year by this time, a lot of things would happen this night that would bring issues to be reckoned with in the years ahead of us, and they will be singing “had I known”. So, on this very important day, let me use the opportunity to admonish our youth that the great Saint Valentine meant this day for good, at least, for platonic relationships, not erotic ones.
Mr Speaker, again, as we celebrate this beautiful day, may we be reminded that, the day in and day out, we celebrate it; it goes down, and nobody talks about it. Would it be possible, as a House, a very august House like that which we have, to re-look at just the celebration of it and put in measures that may allow us to have special events to celebrate or commemorate when a day like this comes in a year’s time?
Mr Speaker, if it is possible, maybe, Members of Parliament (MPs) may be allowed, if it happens to be a working day like this for us, to go to our various districts and have it celebrated with our people, just like I want to post-date my own in two communities on Monday: Talibanya and Tɛhɛy, so that we may use that day to educate the youth that it is not about a bedroom matter, but an issue of conscience to remember that we must express love towards one another without strings attached. I am sure when we put in that education, the youth will revise their notes. Mr Speaker, as I was driving to work this morning, looking at the streets, everywhere was choked. If we look on my phone, the messages are massive. And everybody is talking—Being Valentine and where they are going
Mr Speaker, in conclusion, let the youth out there know that it is not for what they are thinking, but that we should reach out and express our love, the normal love and not the one they are thinking about. That would end up leading them where they are not supposed to be.
Mr Speaker, with this, I thank you very much and wish my beautiful wife, Mrs Akosua Nyantakyiwaa Bessey a Happy Valentine’s Day, and say I am coming home, so she should wait for me.
Hon Kwadwo Damoah
Jaman South
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to also make my contribution towards the celebration of Love or Chocolate Day and, for that matter, Cocoa Day.
Mr Speaker, Ghana had depended on cocoa for a very long time and was the leading producer until we were overtaken by La Côte d’Ivoire. That notwithstanding, we still produce the best cocoa in the whole world, so it is incumbent upon us to ensure that we continue to play a very significant role in the production of cocoa. These days, we are having serious challenges with our cocoa production. The youth we want to encourage to go into cocoa production are gradually running away from that industry. It is the old men and women who still manage our cocoa farms, and, as they grow old and they are not getting their younger ones to take over from them, we risk losing our position to other countries.
Mr Speaker, governments, over the years, have been trying hard to provide the necessary incentives to make cocoa production viable and attractive, but the challenges still persist. Now, we are also having challenges about our environment, cocoa is a special tree that requires some shade, and it needs vegetation. With the current destruction of our forest, if we do not take pragmatic steps to ensure that we continue to have our forest preserved, we may end up, one day, losing our second position to other countries. We have research services, extension services, and other incentives that our governments have been providing. But we also need to go beyond that and ensure that the vagaries of the weather may not continue to be detrimental to the production of cocoa.
We need to do a little more sensitisation and education on how to preserve our forest and improve cocoa production, so that we will continue to have cocoa beans, which will be used to produce the chocolate that we may wish to have for ourselves, our children, and everybody in the country. It is also a fact that we produce cocoa, but we do not consume much of cocoa by way of drinks and chocolate. Now that we are promoting intra-African trade, taking advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), it is our expectation that we would encourage more trade between Ghana and our sister countries in Africa, which are not fortunate to have the vegetation that makes it possible for cocoa production to take place. That will also help us to improve our economy.
Now, all those who are involved in cocoa production and related industries, we say ayekoo to them. We cherish our cocoa farmers, and we should do everything possible to encourage them to remain in cocoa production, in spite of the challenges. My Constituency, Jaman South, and other constituencies in the Bono Region have taken to the production of cashew. Cashew does not require so much of shade, and, in recent times, we use cashew to provide the shade that cocoa needs. So, when we go to cashew plantations now, they are planting cocoa trees under them, and that is helping us to have the shade that cocoa requires to grow extensively. So, we encourage other areas where cashew production is possible to improve and expand cashew production and, at the same time, use that as a cover for cocoa production.
Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Hon Helen Adjoa Ntoso
Krachi West
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity. As we are talking about love, I want to go a bit spiritual and talk about biblical love. The Bible says in 1 John 4:20 that,
“If anyone says I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.”
Mr Speaker, on this day as we are celebrating St Valentine, a martyr, I just want to speak to Colleagues that the spiritual meaning of Valentine is about recognising the power of love as a transformative force in our lives. It is a day for celebrating the positive connections we have with others and acknowledging those connections. We have to extend the love that we have not only to our family members, not only for our friends, but we should also consider the needy, and the downtrodden. In celebrating this day, we should not forget about them. The former President promised to give school children chocolate, but unfortunately, it did not happen. I pray that with the coming of our Minister for Agriculture, Mr Eric Opoku, cocoa farmers will be given the desired health so that they will be able to produce more, in order to provide the opportunity for parents who cannot even afford to buy chocolate for their children to now be able to buy some for their children so that the children can also have a taste of the chocolate that we are producing in this country.
Mr Speaker, I also want to say that the men who stood up, recognising their wives and sending them messages—My prayer is that all the men who are married, if they leave here today would go straight home. They should go straight home and show their love— [Laughter]—To their wives. They should not just say it here in the Chamber. They should go straight home and celebrate their wives so that their wives would know that they actually appreciate them. The women should as well go straight home, appreciate their husbands, show them love, and show their children love. Hon Members should not forget their parents on this day. They should celebrate their parents.
Mr Speaker, let me also use this opportunity to express my deepest appreciation to my husband for his.I would go home—For his unflinching love. My husband, Rev Dr Kingsford Asamoah, I appreciate his love and I pray that— Mr Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity. May the good Lord bless you.
Hon Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah
Takoradi
Mr Speaker, thank you very much for this rare opportunity.
First, we have to congratulate all the three makers of these Statements; they were all women. Clearly, it shows that love matters a lot to women. But on this day, as we celebrate it as a Chocolate Day, I believe that Ghana’s love should go to our cocoa farmers all across the country, and also to encourage the young ones to enter into the cocoa business.
Mr Speaker, I believe that one of the issues that have come up over here about our cocoa farmers is the value we give them for the work they do in the cocoa industry. If we take the industry in Ghana, it is just around US$3 billion. Meanwhile, the world's value of cocoa processed is about 140 billion going into 170 billion. Clearly, I believe that we need to change the equation of how we create value for our cocoa farmers.
First, I do believe that we need to start looking at ways of making sure that all the cocoa we produce in Ghana are processed fully in Ghana; not just semiprocessed, but fully processed in Ghana.
We should also look at ways of giving Ghana's cocoa to the producers free of charge, and we taking a percentage of the profit from the manufacturers. If, for instance, we give the cocoa, and then the profit is about, say, US$20 billion, we can get about US$10 billion instead of getting US$3 billion. It is better than this business of selling it at low value to them, and not getting anything. When we are able to create that value, we would be able to pass a lot of it on to our cocoa farmers so that more people would gain more in the cocoa industry, and they would be ready to invest more in their cocoa farms.
In situations where cocoa farmers are known to be selling their cocoa farms to galamsey people, thereby reducing the production of cocoa in a lot of villages all across the country, I believe that we should have a market mechanism to make sure that they see more value in cocoa farming than the other way around.
Thank you.
Hon Jerry Ahmed Shaib
Weija-Gbawe
Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for this opportunity.
On this very special day, which is the 14th of February, 2025, I want to wish my one and only sweet wife, Mrs Josephina Abena Shaib, a happy Valentine's Day. Unlike those who are making noise that I should go home, I will go home.
Mr Speaker, I also want to take this opportunity to wish my mother, Gifty Naa Adoa Nunu, the one who gave birth to me, a happy Valentine's Day. There are three solid women who are doing very marvelous things in my Constituency, Weija-Gbawe. One is Apostle Lilian Kumah; she is in charge of the Disciples of Christ Ministry.
Mr Speaker, do you know what she is doing? She is showing a lot of love, affection and care to the less privileged. She is doing this also in support with the Weija Manyɛ, Naa Amakuma and Gbawe Manyɛ, Naa Yaaniedi II. I wish them all a happy Valentine's Day and to just express my love and gratitude to them.
Mr Speaker, I am not forgetting my beautiful children. I just want them to understand that Daddy loves them very much.
Beyond all of this, I am a beneficiary of the Cocoa Board Scholarship and I know what cocoa has done for this nation. We must continue to support the processing of cocoa and also push policies that would benefit this nation for the very important promotion and innovation of cocoa, and for the benefits that come out from cocoa. We need to strengthen infrastructure, and enhance the capacity of farmers. We also need to offer incentives to local manufacturers.
We need to come to the understanding that we need value addition within our country, which will promote and preserve job opportunities, create wealth and also solidify Ghana's reputation as one of the major leaders in the cocoa value chain.
Mr Speaker, in conclusion, as we celebrate today, the National Chocolate Day, let us recognise that there are farreaching impacts of processing cocoa in Ghana, and I am very excited to see the Minister for Food and Agriculture here. It is a sector that strengthens our economy, enhances our global competitiveness, and provides sustainable livelihoods for many Ghanaians.
Mr Speaker, I urge all stakeholders including the Government, industry players, and farmers, to continue working together to ensure that Ghana maximises the full potential of its cocoa industry for generations to come. Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for allowing me to contribute to this Statement.
Hon Kwamena Minta Nyarku
Cape Coast North
Mr Speaker, thank for the opportunity to contribute to the Statements on Ghana’s Chocolate Day —
Mr Speaker, I want to appreciate all cocoa farmers in Ghana and beyond. The reason is that they have been very pivotal when it comes to cocoa production across the world. If indeed the consumption of cocoa is on the increase, then there is the need for the Government of Ghana to also look at how we can push in some investments towards more cocoa production.
Today we are talking about Valentine's Day, and I am also looking at the cost of the celebration of Valentine's Day. In America, when it is Valentine's Day, families share flowers, candies and cards. When you come to Ghana, and it is Valentine's Day, it is not an act of giving, but an act of mandatory requirement that you need to make sure you honour.
Mr Speaker, I think that Valentine is the act of giving, and if indeed, it is the act of giving, the giver is supposed to provide what they can willingly give to an individual. So, if I can afford a chocolate—since we are talking about chocolate today, Ghanaians who are supposed to be recipients should also get chocolate. Instead, they would give you a list of items you need to buy for Valentine's Day. This is raising a lot of concerns. If some of them are not able to fulfil—Yes, they give you a prospectus and if you are not able to fulfil that, then that becomes problematic. There are so many relationships that are breaking up because of requests for Valentine's Day celebration.
Mr Speaker, I want us to appreciate the fact that Valentine is not only about the act of giving, but also, the act of taking. But as much as possible, we should also look at how Parliament would be able to direct that on such occasions, we would visit orphanages, hospitals, and areas where our act of giving would have very big impact.
Mr Speaker, let me add my voice to the other contributors who are certain that indeed, we need to look at psychiatric hospitals, orphanages, maternity homes and any area where our act of giving would have the needed impact. I think when we do that, we would be able to give more than we take. Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
Hon Eric Opoku
Asunafo South
Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to contribute to the Statements on the floor of the House.
Today is Valentine's Day, a day for the expression of love. We in Ghana chose to celebrate the National Chocolate Day today, to coincide with the Valentine's Day so that we can use chocolates to express love because of the enormous benefits that we derive from the consumption of chocolates. I wanted to do that to promote consumption of chocolates in this country.
Mr Speaker, the benefits are enormous. We are told that it lowers blood pressure, prevents liver damage, boosts good cholesterol, keeps our heart healthy, boosts brain power and makes us feel good. So, as a way of expressing love, we share chocolates among one another and that is why the day is a unique day. But while celebrating, it is important for us to pause and reflect on the chocolate industry globally, and in here in Ghana, and also to look at the key ingredients that go into the production of chocolates in the world and Ghana in particular.
Mr Speaker, in the global environment, the global chocolate industry is estimated around US$119 billion in 2023, and it is estimated to grow at 4.1 per cent between 2024 and 2030. But unfortunately, African’s share is just 1 per cent in this huge market, this multi-billion industry. When it comes to the production of raw cocoa beans, Africa contributes 70 per cent to cocoa production in the world. But when it comes to the chocolate industry, our share is just 1 per cent.
Now, when you come to Ghana, we are the second largest producer of cocoa in the whole world; globally, the second largest producer of cocoa. But the only cocoa processing company that is partially owned by Government of Ghana is the Cocoa Processing Company of Ghana. The Cocoa Processing Company of Ghana has a processing capacity of 64,500 tonnes. But in 2023, they processed just 6,614 tonnes, and in 2024, they processed just 2,886 tonnes. The Company is now operating far below its capacity. It is no wonder that in the first half of 2024, they recorded a debt of US$ 9.5 million. So clearly, the processing company is on the verge of collapse and this is attributable to lack of cocoa beans. The second largest producer of cocoa in the world is unable to supply enough cocoa beans to its processing company. That is the paradox. So, there is the need for us to look at how we can increase cocoa production in this country. Mr Speaker—
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to continue. I said that the Cocoa Processing Company of Ghana is unable to produce up to capacity largely because of lack of cocoa beans. And, I was lamenting over the paradoxical situation where the second largest producer of cocoa is unable to deliver beans for processing in its own country.
Mr Speaker, this comes to cocoa production, and Hon Members who contributed earlier alluded to the need for us to look at how we can increase cocoa production. The first point raised by one of our Colleagues on the other Side had to do with the producer price of cocoa. His view was that we should give the cocoa farmers competitive prices to motivate them to produce more cocoa, so that we can have enough to feed our processing factories. I agree perfectly with our Colleague, and these are some of the issues we have raised over the years.
Mr Speaker, at any point in time, the cocoa farmer must be given not less than 60 per cent of the world market price. And we would recall that I have stated this here more than a million times, especially when we realised that in the past years, especially last year, that cocoa farmers were being given 30 per cent of the Free on Board (FOB) price. We spoke against that and stated categorically that given the opportunity, we would ensure that farmers are given more than 60 per cent of the world market price.
Mr Speaker, the former Western Regional Minister indicated to me that I have the opportunity now, so I should increase the producer price. And I said, Honourable, I will respond to that. Mr Speaker, my response is this: we are fully determined to give cocoa farmers more than 60 per cent; we want to give them 70 per cent
But they know they have set a trap for us. The trap is that in their handing over notes, they indicated that COCOBOD owes their creditors an amount of GH₵27 billion, and that GH₵5.37 billion is due for payment this year. What that means is that this year, if we get the money, we must set aside GH₵5.37 billion to pay for the debt before we proceed to determine the producer price of cocoa; that is what they have bequeathed to us. So, it is surprising that after creating this mess, the Minority has the courage to mount pressure on us to increase producer price today, while at the same time, they are urging us to pay debts.
Mr Speaker, I am making a contribution to a Statement, but because he invited me to respond to that, I decided to seize this opportunity to let the Minority know that if Ghanaian cocoa farmers are unable to get the 70 per cent they deserve, it is because of the huge debt that they have given to us; they have created it. Again,
Mr Speaker, one of them raised the issue about PBC, and I remember you said, when it gets to my turn, I should respond to that. Mr Speaker, yes, as we speak, PBC is on its knees. It is completely dead, and we have to do a lot of things to bring it back to life. In 2016, when we handed over to the Minority, it was prosperous and vibrant. In 2015, PBC made profit, and part of the profit was invested in the rehabilitation of Golden Beans Hotel in Kumasi; Mr Assafuah knows this Mr Speaker, within the last eight years, PBC has been reduced to nothing; to the extent that in the past two years, they were unable to buy one bag of cocoa for this nation. PBC was the largest purchaser of cocoa in Ghana in 2016. They purchased 30.1 per cent.
Mr Speaker, I was just responding to the issues raised by our Colleagues, and also proffering solutions to solve the very challenges we are lamenting about.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, these are issues, as you rightly said, raised by our Colleagues, and there is the need for us to indicate to them measures we are putting in place to address them. But for them to have a better appreciation of the measures, they must know the true state now, so that they will all agree that these measures are good measures to address them.
Mr Speaker, somebody also spoke about cocoa roads, and that is a serious matter we are looking at. The argument advanced was that to be able to increase cocoa production, we have to fix all the roads leading to cocoa growing areas. This is a Statement made by one of our Colleagues from the other Side.
Mr Speaker, you would recall that in 2017, when the NPP assumed office, one of the issues that became topical here in our country and was discussed extensively throughout all the media outlets had to do with cocoa roads. This is because at that time, we had awarded contracts amounting to GH₵5.1 billion. Based on this, a Committee was established to audit all cocoa roads in Ghana to ascertain whether there was value for money in the award of those contracts.
Mr Speaker, it would surprise Hon Membersto note that in the handing-over notes, we are told that cocoa roads awarded in the last eight years amounted to GH₵21 billion.
Mr Speaker, Government is recommending that we do what they call rationalisation. And when we asked them during the transition, their explanation was that by rationalisation, they are saying that we should terminate, repackage, and then reaward. Mr Speaker, the problem on our hands today is that we have overawarded the contracts and Ghana Cocoa Board does not have the capacity to pay. So now they are asking us in the handing-over notes to do rationalisation. And then rationalisation has begun. So very soon, some of these contracts would be re-looked at and then terminated to ensure that we make progress in the field of cocoa roads. But the assurance we are giving to Hon Members is that we would sanitise the process and ensure that roads in cocoa growing areas alone are fixed with moneys from cocoa.
Then the last point that I have to respond to has to do with cocoa production. Mr Speaker, Hon Members would recall that one of our Colleagues made mention of cocoa production, which has increased to 6,000 something. I was asking whether he is speaking from a different world or what. I was wondering whether he knows what he is talking about. Cocoa production increasing? Mr Speaker, cocoa production peaked in 2021 at 1,047,000 tonnes, unprecedented in the history of Ghana. 1,047,000 tonnes. But as we speak, it is around 500,000 tonnes. The lowest in the past two decades was recorded in 2024. And so, what we have to do now is to come out with policies that would ensure rejuvenation of the cocoa sector, to reset the entire cocoa sector, and increase cocoa production so that we can maximise the benefits for our cocoa farmers. Mr Speaker, we thank you very much for the opportunity. This is a great day; it is a day that we have to show love.
Then the last point that I have to respond to has to do with cocoa production. Mr Speaker, Hon Members would recall that one of our Colleagues made mention of cocoa production, which has increased to 6,000 something. I was asking whether he is speaking from a different world or what. I was wondering whether he knows what he is talking about. Cocoa production increasing?
Mr Speaker, cocoa production peaked in 2021 at 1,047,000 tonnes, unprecedented in the history of Ghana. 1,047,000 tonnes. But as we speak, it is around 500,000 tonnes. The lowest in the past two decades was recorded in 2024. And so, what we have to do now is to come out with policies that would ensure rejuvenation of the cocoa sector, to reset the entire cocoa sector, and increase cocoa production so that we can maximise the benefits for our cocoa farmers.
Mr Speaker, we thank you very much for the opportunity. This is a great day; it is a day that we have to show love. Chocolates have been distributed to Hon Members, and our expectation is that Hon Members would also share the chocolate we have given them to their wives, children, constituents, and then all the other things that they can talk about. On this note, thank you very much.
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