Give us space to work instead of boasting lies – Akufo-Addo tells Mahama

General News of Thursday, July 25, 2019

Source: thechronicle.com.gh

2019-07-25

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo challenged her predecessor, John Dramani Mahama, to name a single policy launched by her former government to boost cocoa production in the country.

Addressing a Durbar of Chiefs at Daboase in West Wbada District of the Western Region, on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, President Akufo-Addo noted that President Kufuor's government had raised cocoa production to about 350,000 metric tons at the end of the year. 2000 to 750 000 tonnes by the end of 2008 and projected that Ghana would reach 1 million metric tons by 2010, a feat accomplished under the late President Mills.

"President Mahama has managed to reach a production level of 1 million tonnes, yet by the end of his term he had fallen to barely 700,000 tonnes. Today, under my government, this figure has risen to 900,000 tons and yet you (Mahama) go around, offering false solidarity to cocoa farmers, shedding crocodile tears in front of the cocoa producers, and that you have done something to improve the situation. cocoa producers. These are crocodile tears, "said the president.

With the introduction of his government's policies, such as manual pollination, the mbad-size of cocoa trees using motorized secateurs, the early spraying of cocoa farms, motorized cutters to replace the new ones. use of machetes and testing of irrigation systems for cocoa farms to guarantee all year round. President Akufo-Addo challenged his predecessor.

"When the hon. J.B. Aidoo was speaking, he asked a policy of the previous NDC government to increase agricultural production and cocoa production. 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! "Underlined the President

Regarding the road sector, President Akufo-Addo said: "Whenever I travel across the country, the first thing Ghanaians complain about is the state of their roads, even if you (Mahama) declare having repaired these same roads. If you (Mahama) really repair the roads, why are Ghanaians constantly complaining about the state of their roads? "

According to the president, the simple answer to this question is that "you (Mahama) have not told the truth to the Ghanaians. You did not do the job you said you did. We are the ones doing the work, so give us space to do it, instead of boasting lies. "

For his part, Ghana's director general Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) said that the administration of President Akufo-Addo had spent the first two years of his mandate clearing the arrears inherited from the Mahama government. Indeed, he added that during the last 10 days of 2016, that is from December 20 to 31, 2016, when President Mahama learned that he had lost the elections in 2016, the $ 400 million in COCOBOD's account had been used.

"We took office and spent the first two years settling all the arrears inherited from the Mahama administration. The process of building cocoa roads is about to begin. The government has approved the disbursement of 3 billion GH ¢ for the construction of 350 cocoa production roads across the country. Secondary evacuation routes, that is, national roads, will also be built, "he added.

Although the former president claimed to be famous in the cocoa sector with the introduction of free fertilizers, the CEO of COCOBOD said that this policy had resulted in a reduction in Ghana's production capacity , which had risen from one million tonnes in 2010/2011 to 740,000 metric tonnes. in 2016, under President Mahama.

While Côte d'Ivoire produced 1.1 million tonnes of cocoa in 2010, it increased cocoa production to 1.8 million tonnes, although fertilizers were not distributed free of charge to their farmers.

"The free fertilizer policy did not help Ghanaian farmers. When we took office in 2017, we revisited the old subsidized fertilizer policy, which consisted of spraying cocoa mbadively, and introducing the manual pollination system, and in 2017/2018 we had produces 968,000 tonnes of cocoa, "added JB Aidoo.

The government, he added, has also reintroduced the policy abandoned by President Mahama in 2014 to support cocoa producers infected with the swollen shoot virus.

"The government absorbs the absolute cost of farm rehabilitation – the cost of tree cutting, replanting and food planted on farms. COCOBOD maintains the farm for the first two years – the critical stages of the farm. In addition, for each hectare of cocoa infected with swollen shoot disease that has been eliminated, the producer receives 1,000 GH ¢. If the farmer is a sharecropper, the landowner also receives 1,000 GH ¢, "he added.

COCOBOD's CEO told cocoa farmers that, starting with the 2020/2021 cocoa season, every tonne of cocoa beans in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire sold internationally will bring an extra $ 400 as a difference vital income for farmers.

The vital income differential of $ 400 million would be added to the price of the crop, of which 70% would be paid to the farmer on the farm.

"For example, today, the price is $ 2,300. So, $ 400 will be added to $ 2,700, and 70% ($ 1,890 or ¢ 10,017 ¢) of the total will be paid to the farmer. This is unprecedented in Ghana's cocoa industry, "he added.