Admit your failures and focus on cleaning the cocoa sector – Minority to Akufo-Addo

General News of Thursday, July 25, 2019

Source: citinewsroom.com

2019-07-25

The minority in Parliament urged President Nana Akufo-Addo to focus on cleaning up the cocoa sector instead of blaming former President John Mahama.

The minority insisted that "cocoa farmers today are much worse off than under President Mahama and the NDC".

At a press conference of the ranking member on business relating to food, agriculture and cocoa, Eric Opoku said:

"Cocoa production has steadily declined, while all major projects in the cocoa sector have fallen since President Akufo-Addo took office. We therefore ask President Akufo-Addo to focus and clean up the mess he has created in the cocoa sector because of his mismanagement and to stop sounding unnecessary political rhetoric. "

President Akufo-Addo had criticized Mahama for overseeing what he called zero progress in the cocoa sector.

But Mr Opoku said the president should rather admit that he had "failed cocoa farmers in Ghana".

Opoku also reiterated Mahama's criticism of the government's decision to end the supply of free fertilizer to cocoa farmers.

"As we speak, the producer price of cocoa has remained stable at GHS475 for three consecutive years. This is despite the fact that prices for fuels, building materials, food and other goods and services have even escalated astronomically, in addition to the fact that farmers now have to buy fertilizers, which were previously free . "

In addition, the minority accused President Akufo-Addo of having "a lack of sympathy for the fate of the poor cocoa farmer".

"In addition to the producer price of cocoa, Akufo-Addo has continued to bypbad cocoa farmers in many ways. This government has refused to pay a premium to cocoa farmers or to report for more than two (2) years now. As if that were not enough, this government also canceled the additional bonus of 5 GHS per bag that the formerly Mahama administration paid to cocoa farmers. "