COCOBOD has replaced the 50% fertiliser subsidy with free agro-inputs tracked digitally from warehouses to biometric-verified cocoa farmers.

Published 7 Nov 2026, 06:48 GMT

3 min read

COCOBOD Chief Executive Dr Randy Abbey speaking at a public event — COCOBOD Chief Executive Dr Randy Abbey

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The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has relaunched its Free Fertiliser and Agro-Input Distribution Programme at Sefwi Wiawso in the Western North Region, with a digital tracking system meant to stop smuggling and diversion.

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

COCOBOD previously replaced its earlier free scheme with a subsidised fertiliser programme after diversion and favouritism kept supplies from reaching smallholders.

“Inputs meant for genuine farmers ended up in open markets across the borders and on the farms of the well-connected, while smallholder farmers at the end of the line went home empty-handed,” Abbey noted.

Under the new platform, only farmers with mapped farms registered on COCOBOD's digital Cocoa Management System (CMS) qualify for inputs.

Beneficiaries must verify their identity at collection points using a Ghana Card, farmer identification card or biometrics, while the software automatically calculates each farmer's allocation from the mapped size and condition of the farm so distribution officers cannot alter quantities.

“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,” Abbey said, urging unmapped farmers to contact extension officers as COCOBOD shifts its wider financing model.

For the relaunch, COCOBOD has procured more than 3.5 million bags of granular fertiliser—with about 1.2 million bags already delivered—alongside 1.8 million litres of liquid fertiliser, 2.3 million litres of insecticide and 1.5 million kilograms of fungicide.

“We are removing financial barriers to high yields. Free fertilizer is not a handout; it is an investment in farmers, in the soil, and in the foreign exchange earnings of this republic,” Abbey said.

COCOBOD Board Chairman Dr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo added that the state has supplied about 27,000 new pneumatic and motorised spraying machines this year, bringing the national fleet to roughly 67,000 machines supported by 5.7 million litres of pre-mixed fuel to help cocoa farmers improve yields and earnings.

“We cannot expect increased national cocoa production without investing adequately in the farms and supporting the farmers who cultivate them,” Ofosu-Ampofo said.

Araba IncoomAraba Incoom writes on multiple topics with a vast knowledge across different sector. You can almost call me an AI, after all, my initials are Araba Incoom.

COCOBOD relaunches free fertiliser with digital tracking: ‘Days of diverting inputs are over’

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