Coffee Growers in the Eastern region are losing substantial revenue as they are unable to hull harvested coffee.
The only hulling machine in the region has been in bad shape and working for the past eight years; for this reason, the farmers are being forced to sell unhulled coffee for GH ¢350 per 65 kilogrammes, though they could be earning double the amount.
Hulling is the process by which husk is removed from the coffee seed.
Ghana is known in the world as the second largest cocoa producer. However, in sub-Saharan Africa, it is ranked as the third smallest coffee producer.
In 2019, the country exported 600 tonnes of coffee which was a sharp decline from the 12,250 tonnes recorded in 2015.
Visiting one of the biggest coffee plantations in Bepong, a suburb of the Kwahu district in the Eastern region, Seidu Ansomana, the farm manager bemoans their situation and inability to earn much.
He noted that an effective hulling machine would have enabled them to unhulled about 50 bags of coffee daily.
The farm manager also stated that because they had no hulling machine, they could only cultivate 300 acres of land though the land is about 1000 acres.
According to Mr. Ansomana, cocoa farmers are partnering with government to implement the ‘Planting for Export and Rural Development (PERD)’. When this is done, coffee seeds will be given out for free to small scale farmers. He however revealed that, for some time now, government has been neglecting their needs, causing termites to invade the farm.
He said constant complaints have been made to the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), but nothing has been done about the pests infestations of the farm.