The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has taken legal action at the Dunkwa High Court following a land dispute that has reportedly led to the destruction of cocoa farms at Denkyira Agyinpaboa near Dunkwa-Offin in the Central Region.
The case stems from a petition submitted by affected cocoa farmers who allege that their farmlands are being encroached upon and destroyed in a dispute involving the Chief of Dunkwa, Okoforobour Obeng Nuako III, and the Chief of Ayenfuri, Nana Kojo Appiah II.
According to the farmers, the Ayenfuri stool originally allocated the land to their families generations ago for cocoa cultivation, but a competing claim to ownership has now triggered tension and destruction of farm property.
COCOBOD, after receiving the petition, dispatched a delegation to engage the Dunkwa Chief in an attempt to resolve the matter amicably.
However, the Board says the situation escalated shortly after the engagement, with reports that land guards linked to the disputed authority returned to the area and continued clearing cocoa farms for estate development.
The destruction is said to have affected approximately 50 acres of established cocoa farms, raising concerns over the livelihoods of affected farmers and the future of cocoa production in the area.
COCOBOD subsequently filed an application at the Dunkwa High Court seeking an interlocutory injunction to halt further destruction of farms while the substantive issues are determined.
The Board is also asking the court to compel accountability and compensation for losses already incurred, insisting that due legal processes must be followed in resolving the dispute.
The case adds to ongoing concerns over land encroachment on cocoa-growing areas, which stakeholders say continues to threaten Ghana’s cocoa sector and the livelihoods of rural farming communities.
