Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) is one of the three pre-harvest divisions of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) that interface directly with cocoa farmers and primarily responsible for the control of Cocoa Swollen Shoot and Virus Disease (CSSVD) and management of other cocoa pests and diseases, improvement in soil nutrients, rehabilitation of old and moribund cocoa farms and the provision of cocoa extension services to cocoa farmers.
CHED is present in seven cocoa regions namely Western south, Western North, Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Eastern, Central, and Volta. Beyond that, visibility of CHED and its presence in approximately 70 cocoa districts across the country, and the proximity of its operations to cocoa farmers provides the Division a unique opportunity to support Cocoa Life IPs and assist farmers in all the cocoa growing regions.
CHED has a vision to achieve excellence in cocoa extension services delivery and increase the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and Productivity Enhancement Programmes (PEPs) by farmers to attain dry cocoa bean yield of 1000kg/ha by 2026 (CSDS II). This vision is hinged on a mission to support cocoa farmers to adopt Good Agricultural Practices through effective and efficient cocoa extension services delivery, rehabilitate diseased and overaged cocoa farms and implement other Productivity Enhancement Programmes for increased yields. At the heart of the vision and mission are the tried and tested core values which include hard work with integrity, passion with commitment to duty, accountability, versatility, results-driven and trustworthiness.
CHED is at the forefront of the implementation of some key policies of COCOBOD which include Cocoa Management System (CMS), which is the collection of baseline data of all cocoa farmers and cocoa farms across the country. CMS seeks to digitize operations at the point of sale and will serve as the bedrock on which the much-touted Cocoa Farmers Pension Scheme will rest. Sequel to this is the involvement of CHED in the roll out of the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System (GCTS) which is a system being put in place to make Ghana’s premium quality cocoa beans traceable from the farm gate to the port and vice versa. CHED is also at the center of the fight against illegal small-scale mining popularly referred to as illegal mining (Galamsey), Gender Mainstreaming, tackling Child Labour as well as reducing Deforestation and Climate Change to the barest minimum.
CHED has an admirable human capital that works around the clock to ensure the achievement of set goals and targets. All the above activities are powered by just a little over 3,000 competent and well-motivated staff across the country.