COCOBOD Relaunches Free Fertiliser Scheme With Digital Tracking, Warns Diversionists: ‘A Missing Bag Now Leaves a Trail’

The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has relaunched its free fertiliser distribution programme with a sweeping digital accountability system, warning that the era of diverting subsidised inputs meant for cocoa farmers is over.

Speaking at the launch in Sefwi Wiawso on Friday, COCOBOD Chief Executive Dr Randy Abbey issued a blunt warning to smugglers and officials, declaring that every bag of fertiliser would now be traced from warehouse to farmer under a new digital monitoring regime tied to the Cocoa Management System (CMS).

“Let me send a clear and unequivocal warning to smugglers and saboteurs. The days of diverting inputs meant for our farmers are over,” Dr Abbey said. “Any officer, buyer, or individual found diverting, hoarding, reselling, or smuggling these inputs will be dealt with according to the law.”

The relaunch, themed “Cocoa Sector Reset: Free Fertiliser for Increased Productivity and Improved Farmer Income,” marks a significant policy shift from the previous 50 per cent subsidy arrangement to fully free distribution. The programme is expected to distribute 3.5 million bags of granular fertiliser, alongside 1.8 million litres of liquid fertiliser, 2.3 million litres of insecticides, and 1.5 million kilogrammes of fungicides to cocoa farmers at no cost .

A Digital Paper Trail for Every Bag

At the heart of the new system is a digital tracking mechanism designed to close the loopholes that previously allowed subsidised inputs to be sold on the open market or smuggled across borders. Under the arrangement, eligibility is restricted to registered cocoa farmers whose farms have been mapped and recorded on COCOBOD’s CMS. At distribution centres, farmers must establish their identities using farmer identification cards, Ghana Cards, or biometric details—measures intended to eliminate impersonation and fictitious beneficiary names.

Dr Abbey said every bag issued would be tagged against the name of the farmer who received it, enabling officials at district, regional, and national levels to reconcile dispatched stock against what was received and issued.

“Every bag issued is tagged against the name of the farmer who received it. At any moment, we can reconcile what was dispatched against what was received and what was issued. A bag that goes missing now leaves a trail,” he said.

The quantities allocated to each farmer will be determined automatically by the system based on farm size and condition, stripping distribution officers of any discretion to alter individual allocations. The digital framework builds on Ghana’s broader Cocoa Management System, which had already registered nearly 793,000 farmers and mapped over 1.24 million farms by 2025 .

A Sector Under Strain

The relaunch comes at a critical moment for Ghana’s cocoa industry. Output fell to approximately 530,000 metric tonnes in the 2024/2025 season—the lowest in more than two decades—as the sector battles the cocoa swollen shoot virus, illegal mining encroachment, ageing trees, and climate pressures . Ghana has long held the position of the world’s second-largest cocoa producer, contributing roughly 20–25 per cent of global supply, but production declines have raised concerns about the country’s ability to meet contract obligations .

COCOBOD Board Chairman Dr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo reaffirmed the government’s commitment to interventions aimed at raising production and improving farmer incomes, describing the free fertiliser policy as a deliberate effort to remove cost as a barrier to farm productivity.

The programme is part of a broader “Cocoa Sector Reset” agenda that has included the introduction of a new COCOBOD Bill, reforms to the sector’s financing model, and a push for greater local processing of cocoa beans .

Registration Push for Unmapped Farms

Dr Abbey also tasked agricultural extension officers with ensuring that all cocoa farmers and their farms in their respective districts are registered and properly mapped, warning that unregistered producers risk being left out of future interventions.

Farmers whose farms had not been captured on the CMS were urged to contact their extension officers to complete the registration and mapping process.

The COCOBOD chief executive said the digital arrangement was expected to reduce the influence of personal connections and favouritism in distribution, while ensuring that smallholder farmers, women, young farmers, and elderly producers receive their allocations without paying unofficial fees.

“The free distribution of these inputs comes with responsibility,” Dr Abbey said. “Farmers must ensure that the fertilisers and other agro-chemicals reach their intended beneficiaries and are used exclusively on their cocoa farms.”