COCOBOD Relaunches Free Fertiliser Scheme in Western North, Deploys Digital Tracking to End Diversion

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has relaunched its Free Fertiliser Distribution Programme in the Western North Region, rolling out a fully government-funded input support system backed by digital tracking technology in a bid to eliminate favouritism, cut out middlemen and ensure agro-inputs reach cocoa farmers directly.

Speaking at the launch in Sefwi-Wiawso, COCOBOD Chief Executive Officer Dr Randy Abbey directed officials of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) to use technology to register farmers, saying the move would remove the human discretion that had previously allowed inputs meant for smallholders to be diverted. The programme is distributing 3.5 million bags of granular fertiliser, alongside 1.8 million litres of liquid fertiliser, 2.3 million litres of insecticide and 1.5 million kilogrammes of fungicide, all at no cost to farmers .

A Region Bearing the Brunt of Disease

Abbey expressed grave concern about the toll of cocoa swollen shoot disease on the Western North Region, revealing that production had collapsed from 340,000 metric tonnes annually to 140,000 metric tonnes. The region, alongside Western Region, historically accounts for more than half of Ghana’s national cocoa output, and COCOBOD has previously warned that the 2026/27 season could see national production fall to between 450,000 and 550,000 tonnes due to the combined effects of swollen shoot, ageing farms and illegal mining .

The COCOBOD CEO assured farmers that the Board was aggressively galvanising capital injections from development banks and private sector partners to rehabilitate diseased farms and restore livelihoods. He also announced that the Board was working to kick-start a tertiary scholarship for cocoa farmers’ children starting in the 2027/2028 academic year—a scheme first announced by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson in August 2025, with implementation originally slated for 2026/27 .

Digital Tracking to End Diversion

Dr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, COCOBOD Board Chairman, urged farmers to apply the fertilisers properly to improve soil fertility and increase yields, and cautioned against diversion. Enhanced tracking technology has been deployed to monitor distribution from warehouse to farm, with eligibility restricted to farmers whose farms are mapped and registered on COCOBOD’s digital Cocoa Management System. Beneficiaries must verify their identity using a Ghana Card, farmer identification card or biometrics, and the system automatically calculates each farmer’s allocation based on mapped farm size and condition .

“Every bag issued is tagged against the name of the farmer who received it,” Abbey said at the launch. “A bag that goes missing now leaves a trail.”

Calls for Private Sector Role in Rehabilitation

Mr Wilbert Petty Brentum, the Western North Regional Minister, said COCOBOD’s decision to relaunch the programme in the region underscored the government’s continued commitment to revitalising the cocoa sector. He lauded farmers for their resilience despite the devastation wrought by swollen shoot and other diseases, and called for the privatisation of the rehabilitation programme in the region, saying the move would provide much-needed financial relief to farmers.

Nana Ofori Ahenkan II, Chief of Bonzain and Acting President of the Wiawso Traditional Council, who chaired the programme, said the free fertiliser distribution would not only secure the future of Ghana’s cocoa sector but ultimately improve the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their households.

Farmers interviewed by the Ghana News Agency lauded the government and COCOBOD for the initiative, saying it would help improve yields, and welcomed the scholarship decision as a relief to their financial burden.

A Sector Under Strain

The relaunch comes as Ghana’s cocoa sector confronts structural headwinds. COCOBOD carries a debt burden exceeding $5.5 billion, and the 2026/27 harvest is projected to decline significantly from the 750,000 tonnes recorded last season . The free fertiliser programme, originally a subsidy, was replaced with the fully free distribution model under the theme “Cocoa Sector Reset: Free Fertiliser for Increased Productivity and Improved Farmer Income,” forming part of the government’s broader agricultural transformation agenda .