NPP Gov’t Cheating Cocoa Farmers – Juaboso MP

The former Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources under the erstwhile John Mahama’s regime and also the Member of Parliament for Sewfi Juaboso Constituency in the Western Region, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akando has said the NPP government is acting in a manner of cheating cocoa farmers from their daily stress.

The Juaboso Legislator’s comment comes after the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto announced producer price of cocoa for the 2018/2019 cocoa season which saw no increment.

Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Joseph Boahene Aidoo, few weeks ago stated that, government will not increase the producer price of cocoa and bonuses for the 2018/2019 crop cocoa season, following fallen prices of the commodity on the international market.

Government has as well maintained the producer price of cocoa at GH7,600 per tonne, translating into GH475 per bag of a 64 kilogramme (kg) gross weight.

The price which is expected to take effect from Friday October 5, 2018 has been met with mix reactions from the public.

Meanwhile the government has explained that cocoa price on the international market in recent times has reduced from US$3, 300 per tonne to US$2, 100 which represent a decline of about forty percent (40%).

However, the former Deputy Minister maintained that Nana Addo led-government is agriculture unfriendly hence the increment of cocoa inputs while maintaining producer price to worsen the burden of farmers especially those at the cocoa sector.

We are therefore encouraging the CEO of COCOBOD to make it public how much has accumulated in the fund and its impact on the farmers in this critical period,” he said.

He also said the NPP had replaced a promising Cocoa fertilization programme the Mahama government introduced and is thus ripping off cocoa farmers.

“Surprisingly, the NPP government on assumption of office has replaced the free fertilization programme with a programme under which farmers pay (GHc80) for a bag of fertilizer. This is unacceptable, we cannot sit aloof for the government to cheat our cocoa farmers.” – he added.

He established that NDC will win 2020 election at ease per the poor governance of the NPP.

He urged NDC members not to dwell solely on the poor performance of the NPP as a sign of victory despite the abysmal performance.