The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is working with COCOBOD and the Licensed Cocoa Buying Companies (LCBs), to curtail the purchase of cocoa beans harvested from forest reserves.

The aim is to discourage farmers from illegally turning forest reserves into cocoa plantations, a practice, which had caused massive degradation in the country’s forest reserves.

Mr. Obed Owusu-Addai Managing Campaigner, of the Joint Framework of Action Cocoa Ghana, made this known at a meeting with cocoa farmers at Nyinahin in the Atwima-Mponua District.

He said LBCs, which had signed on to the initiative, would stop the purchase of such cocoa beans from December 31, this year.

“The government of Ghana through the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources together with the LBCs, were committed to work together to end forest degradation in the cocoa value chain”, Mr Owusu-Addai added.

He said the joint framework was to promote forest restoration and reduce the activities of farmers in natural forest reserves.

The government was also planning to sign a contract with farmers to include tree benefit sharing arrangement, targeted at the restoration and reforestation programme of forest reserves.

The goal is to ensure progressive and effective restoration of the forest to their original healthy and biodiversity status.