Fifty-one year old Yaa Boahemaa's swift movement on her way to her cocoa farm is done in such a manner to avoid coming into contact with weeds.
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The poor cocoa farmers of Old Tafo
"I was even better off when i was a hair dresser," says Yaa Boahemaa,a cocoa farmer
“It is just here, we are almost there,” She responds when asked if we are getting closer to her farm after walking for about two kilometers.
“All these are cocoa farms," She proudly points to the vast lands of cocoa around us. "The one on our left is the late JB’s farm. It was for his father.”
‘You have to leave early,” She says. “You don’t want the sun to meet you on the way.”
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She went into cocoa farming after her salon business collapsed. She was "the first to introduce hair dressing in Old Tafo."
But when her mother fell sick, things went south as she had to sell everything including her hair dyer to take care of her medical bill.
The only option for her after her mum died, was to go into cocoa farming.
Seven years later, she wonders if it was the best decision.
"Government needs to help so we can also get something out of cocoa to take care of ourselves. I was even better off when i was a hair dresser." She says.
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Boahemaa is one of the many cocoa farmers in Old Tafo, who, after many years of cultivating this cash crop still wallow in abject poverty.
This cocoa season, the farmers reckon will even be worse as the bad weather has killed many of the cocoa plants. This only means less money and more difficult days ahead.
Ghana makes about 2 billion dollars annually as foreign earning from cocoa. Yet small scale farmers who make about 90 percent of farmers growing cocoa in the country are part of the poorest in Ghana.
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For 61 year old Janet Mawu whose husband died two years ago leaving her with 8 acres of cocoa farm to cultivate, government has been of insignificant help.
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Life was already tough for her family and now that her husband is no more, things are even tougher for her, her seven children and twenty five grandchildren.
"I am the only one managing the cocoa farm of about 8 acres. The sun has destroyed all our cocoa. I am into this to take care of my children and grandchildren."
After over 20 years in the cocoa farming business Mawu says she has never earned enough to send any of her children to Senior High School.
"I can't take care of my children!" She yells while pointing to one of her children who is breastfeeding her baby. "They couldn't even complete JHS, they have all given birth. Now I have a heart problem but i am doing everything for my grandchildren and children."
People in Old Tafo are known for growing cocoa. But most of the farmers here live in poverty and barely have anything to show for their hussel over the years.
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Even though government increased cocoa producer price last year to 420 cedis, Bata Peter like the rest of the farmers at Maase in the Abuakwa North constituency get about 300 cedis for a 64 kg of cocoa.
“When I share the proceeds with my land owner and I calculate the amount I have pumped into maintaining the farm and the money I get after harvest, from all indications I lose money.”
For these farmers, the most important thing is increasing their yeilds. They say it is not enough for government to provide the seedlings alone while the poor farmer bears the rest of the cost until harvest time.
"Now when you get the cocoa and you don't have money it will go to waste. Government has nursed the cocoa for us, but growing and nurturing the cocoa till harvest is the difficult part," According to Mawu.
"We need help" is a common phrase that comes out of the lips of all the farmers Pulse News interviewed. Until the help comes these farmers will continue to have nothing to show for years of farming cocoa.
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