…. As pioneer’s cocoa nursery supports more farmers
Story: Mohammed A. Abu
Sylvester Mohammed, the pioneer in cocoa cultivation in Nanun,Ghana’s Northern Region, has expressed optimism that factoring of tree crop farming such as cocoa into mainstream farming in the Northern region, would go a long way to address youth unemployment.
The age-old over dependency on cereals and grains farming culture in the Northern Region, Mr. Mohammed’s notes,, tends to limit livelihood opportunities.
Flashback:JB Dandawa’s maiden Interview with Mr.Mohammed in August 2025
Thus, the inclusion of cash tree crop farming such as cocoa in areas with favorable agri-climatic conditions in the Northern sector he believes, is the right way to go.
Flashback:Mr.Mohammed’s interview with the Press in December 2025
This he said, was the driving force behind his decision to go into cocoa farming in the Northern Region after having acquired enough experience in the cultivation of the tree crop during his fourteen years sojourn in a cocoa growing area in the southern part of the country.
Mr. Mohammed therefore called on the youth in areas with suitable agri-climatic conditions for cocoa cultivation in the Northern sector to consider getting on board following his successful piloting of the cash crop generally thought to be an exclusive preserve of the southern sector.
In order to give direction and leadership to the emerging Northern cocoa farming paradigm Mr. Mohammed has a cocoa nursery with productivity capacity of over five thousand cocoa seedlings which he is distributing to the youth who are interested in joining the cocoa production bandwagon.
Mr. Mohammed desires to see more youth join the trail so as to keep the momentum and to ensure the emerging industry’s sustainability as age catches up with him.
He also expressed appreciation to COCOABOD management for their great support in terms of provision of some cash amount, farm inputs, logistics, provision of accommodation close to his farm, supporting him address his ill-health condition among other things.
This he noted, has helped restore internal stability created a more congenial atmosphere for him embark upon increasing the acreage of his one and half acres that was left following a devastating bush fire that had destroyed his original four acres cocoa farm. On availability of more suitable arable land for growing cocoa within his enclave which is about 11 km from the Bimbila metropolis, he said there is about ten acres arable land potential for expansion in the medium to long term.
But like Oliver Twist, Mr. Mohammed said, more financing is still needed not only to enable him scale up, but also for other youth he is encouraging and supporting with seedlings from his nursery to also come on board so that more arable land suitable for cocoa production in Nanun could be to productive use.
Mr. Mohammed was speaking during a recent exclusive interview with your favourite, the Eco-Eviro News Africa
Journalist joins the bandwagon
The emerging Northern cocoa industry is getting the more interesting and exciting as JB Dandawa, Eastern Corridor,Nanumba North and South Sagani TV Reporter and Radio Presenter at Radio Bimbila 91.9 MHz also comes on board.
Mr. Dandawa’s maiden interview with Mr.Mohammed’s on his cocoa production success story in August 2025 resulted to the visit to the first ever Northern cocoa farm by staff of the 24hr Economy Secretariat and COCOABOD who came with a media team from Accra.
Mr. Dandawa also during an interview with your favourite,the EcoEnviro News Africa concurrently with Mr.Mohammed,disclosed that, he already has an almost two acres cocoa farm on which he has 150 early-stage growing cocoa trees and another almost an acre farm with over 80 growing cocoa trees. He disclosed that a growing number of individuals are developing keen interest in cocoa farming and notably Nanun North Municipality is already witnessing the emergence of about three prominent cocoa farmers.
“With determination and collective effort, Insha Allah, I envision that within the next to three years we will empower over 20 cocoa farmers across Nanun and Northern Region to thrive in cocoa farming as a business” Mr. Dandawa intimated.
On whether cocoa farming within Nanun territories could play a catalytic role in transformative growth and beacon of hope and opportunity, his response was that, “with a robust financial support for newly established cocoa farms we could unlock significant growth and development among cocoa farmers in Nanun and Northern Region.”
He also envisages the forming of a Northern Cocoa Farmers Association at the most appropriate time as more and more farmers show interest and take pragmatic action towards having cocoa farms.
Growing young cocoa trees on Mr.Dandawa’s farm
On availability of arable land suitable for cocoa cultivation in the Northern region with particular reference to Nanun, Mr. Dandawa said that wasn’t a problem but what he sees as the problem is farmers age-old attachment to short term yielding cereals and grains farming, makes some of them a bit hesitant in venturing into tree crop farming which has a relatively longer maturity period.
Mr. Ninchala began cocoa cultivation in 2012 as a pilot project that yielded early success encouraging him to do four acres but only to suffer a setback of bush fire destruction through which he lost two and half acres out the total acreage of four (4) leaving only one and half acres.
