At the invitation of the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, the minister joined other key stakeholders in the Cocoa and forestry industries, at the second edition of the Orange Cocoa Day, held under the theme “exploring how improved access to land and tree tenure promote sustainability in the cocoa value chain”.
On behalf of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, the sector minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor delivered a statement on the Government’s policies on land use and tree tenure in support of Cocoa sustainability.
He highlighted some of the policies being implemented by the Ministry, such as the Tree Tenure and Benefit Sharing Scheme, the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Programme launched by President Akufo-Addo in 2019, the Cocoa and Forest Initiative, the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade (FACT) Dialogue, and the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT).
The minister bemoaned the recent practice of farmers selling their Cocoa farms to illegal miners, and called on all citizens, particularly traditional and local authorities, as well as farmers and residents in farming communities, to rally behind the Government to protect our lands and forests.
“Cocoa, in our country, is a historic commodity that forms part of our heritage. We need our Cocoa, and we need our forests”.
“The two are not mutually exclusive, but can sustainably co-exist to support global climate action” Samuel Abu Jinapor stated.
The Government of President Akufo-Addo, through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, will continue to provide the needed leadership for sustainable Cocoa production and the protection of our environment for posterity.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Kwabena Nyarko Abronoma
