Captain Smart proposes ‘One House One Cocoa Tree' to promote development

Host of the Smart Show on Smart TV, Blessed Godsbrain Smart has proposed a “One House One Cocoa Tree” policy to boost Ghana’s cocoa production and as well foster development.

Speaking on the show Tuesday, May 11, 2021, closely monitored by Ghanasonline.com, Mr. Smart indicated one cocoa tree in each house in the capital alone can provide 4 million cocoa trees which could be harvested to generate money to provide development in respective vicinities.

His comments stemmed from the increasing graduate unemployment in the country, where agriculture, which is the backbone of the country has been relegated by many youth, due to the mindset created about it.

He bemoaned the practice where students are punished in school with weeding, creating an impression that agriculture is a punishment. This he says discourage many graduates from engaging in agriculture after school, due to the manner with which the agriculture has been propagated.

“You always say we criticise without providing solutions. Today I am giving a solution to the authorities. We have 4 million housing units in Greater Accra region. Let us make a policy, so that every household would plant one cocoa tree. There are some houses that can even cater for two or three trees. So if at the end of the year, we harvest all the cocoa in say Tantra Hill, the money can be used to buy equipment for the Tantra Community Clinic, and that will be beneficial for all residents in Tantra Hill,” he proposed.

He added that, “when the youth come from the villages and see that there are cocoa trees at East Legon, they won’t bother coming here but will stay in the villages and produce cocoa.”

Speaking on the country’s national policy on agriculture, Mr. Smart noted the policies outlined by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah on state farming has been totally abrogated, with subsequent governments mishandling agriculture.

“Kwame Nkrumah enrolled 39% of the Ghanaian youth into agriculture but what happened today? All the state farms Nkrumah established have been collapsed and today, the agriculture we so much boast of is not employing the youth,” he said.