Farmers appeal for COCOBOD’s intervention in land dispute

Cocoa farmers in Dunkwa-Atekyem, located in the Upper-Denkyira-East Municipality of Ghana's Central Region, have called on the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and other relevant parties to step in and resolve a contentious land dispute. The farmers claim that about 99 hectares of their cocoa farms were allegedly sold to private developers by the Chief of Dunkwa, Nana Obeng Nuakoh III.

The affected farmers have cultivated these lands for generations, with their families inheriting the land from their great-grandparents, who obtained it from the chief decades ago. The cocoa farms hold significant importance for the farmers, as they rely on cocoa production as their primary source of income. Mr. Samuel Ofori, a spokesman for the farmers, says that no consultations or negotiations were held with the farmers before the alleged sale, placing their livelihoods in jeopardy.

Mrs. Oforiwaa Kumah, one of the affected farmers, urged authorities to intervene and protect their income and resolve the dispute. However, when reached for comment, Nana Obeng Nuakoh declined to comment, stating that the matter is currently under the jurisdiction of the law court.