The public affairs director of Ghana’s government-linked Cocobod organisation has proposed extensive penalties in a bid to tackle concerning levels of cocoa crop destruction, proposing major $50,000 fines for each tree removed, writes Neill Barston. Speaking at a meeting in Accra, Ghana, organised by Send Ghana and the Ghana Civil Society Cocoa Platform, Jerome put forward the proposals for considerable fines for cocoa crop removal in a bid to prevent further major losses to the sector. Government reactionIn response, the governments of Ghana and Ivory Coast have proposed wider moves to help reshape the industries that they have controlled for decades. As Cocobod noted, the group’s leader put forward the notion at a meeting with Ghana’s International Bank (GHIB), discussing funding models for the 2026/27 Crop Year. Abbey said indications are clear that Ghana can no longer rely entirely on the over three-decade-old cocoa syndicated loan facility.