The Minority in Parliament is demanding GH¢2,500 on a bag of cocoa for farmers arguing the GH¢1,308 announced by the government falls too short of expectations.
The minority argues that cocoa farmers, a pivotal part of the country’s economy, have not received the support and rewards they deserve from the current administration for their work.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday 13th September, 2023 after an engagement with cocoa farmers in Dadiesoba in the Asutifi South District of the Ahafo Region, Minority leader Cassiel Ato Forson argued cocoa pricing by the current government is inadequate and falls far short of what is needed to sustain the livelihoods of cocoa farmers.
He pointed out that with the sharp fluctuation of the cedi and increase in the price of cocoa on the international market, the only sector that gains is the export sector.
“And we know that the cocoa farmer is the main exporter in this country. So, in times like this, the person who should benefit is the cocoa farmer,” he stated.
He argued that the GH¢1,308 per bag announced by the government is a rip-off compared to the current price on the international market.
According to him, calculations indicate that the government’s offer shortchanges the cocoa farmer by a minimum of GH¢1,500 on a bag of cocoa, equivalent to approximately 50 million cedis for a farmer selling 10 bags.
“Today, even with two bags, the cocoa farmer can only buy one packet of roofing sheets. The reverse is that it should have been one-to-one at the minimum,” stated Ato Forson.
The Minority’s concerns, however, extend beyond pricing to encompass the decline in cocoa production and financial mismanagement within the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOARD).
The Minority leader alleged that despite promises of enhanced productivity by the Akufo-Addo government, cocoa production has dwindled to its lowest point in the last 15 years, with the board recording substantial losses in recent years.
He disclosed that last year the government was able to buy only 650,000 metric tons of cocoa despite the fact that Parliament approved a loan of GH¢600 million to enhance cocoa productivity.
The NDC government, he said, left power while cocoa export was at 969,000 metric tons, a far cry from what the NPP government is currently doing.
“The cocoa sector has been mismanaged recklessly. It’s time for reforms, or else this vital part of Ghana’s economy will suffer,” Ato Forson emphasized.