Ghana and it’sneighbor, Cote d’Ivoire, have held the second ordinary meeting on the agreement to set up The Cocoa Initiative Steering Committee.
The meeting which was help in Accra last Friday January 21, 2022, focused on the progress of work that has been done so far with respect to the establishment.
The meeting which was attended by Ghana Minister for Agriculture,DrAkotoAfriyieand his colleague from Cote d’Ivoire, also looked at the presentation and validation of the strategic vision.
It also had in attendance the Chief Executive Officer for the COCOBOD, MrJosephBoahenAidoo and his counterpart from the cocoa institution in Cote d’Ivoire.
In a press statement which was made available to The Herald , the meeting also discussed the approval of the international staff who will be working and that of the organs of the institution.
“ The strategic vision of the initiative gives a central place to the producer and his income”, the statement said.
The benefit of the strategic vision will among other help to make the price obtained by the producer the key variable in the sustainable equation.
According to the statement, the relevance of supporting producer incomes through direct action on field prices has been confirmed two years ago when the Living Income Differential ( LID) was proposed .
In view of this confirmation, the statement explained that the strategy now calls for the creation of an economic pact which in line with the LID , affirms the political ambition of agreeing among stakeholders on a minimum export price trajectory without which no decent field price can be envisaged.
The Executive Secretary, MrAlex Arnaud Assanvo, who proposed the pact according to the statement is to respond to the vision of Heads of State of the Initiative member countries in order to shape the future of a sector that has been subject to market forces for too long without taking into account the fundamental rights of producers.
“ Sustainable and remuneration cocoa is not the cocoa of today.This move up market has a price- a minimum price on which stakeholders must agree and to which they must commit and be accountable “, the statement stressed.
