Mahama offers false solidarity, crocodile tears to cocoa farmers – Nana Addo

General News of Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Source: citinewsroom.com

2019-07-24

President Nana Akufo-Addo blamed former president John Mahama for overseeing what he called zero progress in the cocoa sector.

Addressing Tuesday to a delegation of leaders at Daboase, in Wbada East District, in the West region, President Akufo-Addo said that Mr. Mahama had not managed to s build on the achievements of the Kufuor administration in the sector.

"President Mahama has managed to reach a production level of 1 million tons and yet, by the end of his term, he had fallen to barely 700,000 tons."

The president's remarks come after Mahama criticized the government's decision to stop providing free fertilizer to cocoa farmers.

"I am very sad for our cocoa farmers," said John Mahama in Enchi, in Aowin's riding.

"We had good plans and started to implement good policies for the cocoa sector. When we started distributing free fertilizer, it was because we understood that it would help to improve the yield. For the 2016/17 crop year, we recorded 950,000 tonnes … "

But the president, Nana Akufo-Addo, said that Mahama was only offering "false solidarity with cocoa farmers, shedding crocodile tears in front of cocoa farmers."

He added that he was not expecting anything positive from the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress.

"I want to hear what they will say to this challenge. We challenge them to tell us what they did to boost agricultural and cocoa production in Ghana. I can tell you the answer in advance: zero! Zero! Zero!"