The Minority Leader in Parliament, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has indicated that the National Democratic Congress if in government would have increased the price of cocoa to GHS 2,800.00 rather than President Akuffo Addo and the ruling New Patriotic Party increase of GHS1308.00.
According to the leader of the Minority Caucus in Parliament, President Akuffo Addo and his New Patriotic Party administration should have increased the price of a bag of cocoa by no less than GH¢2,500.
Speaking at it “Cocoa Farmers and Media Conference” yesterday, Wednesday, 13th September, 2023 at Dadiesoaba in the Ahafo Region, the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson explained that farmers should have gotten at least ¢2,500 cedis per cocoa bag given the high price on the international market.
“In fact, from 2013 to 2016 I supervised the increase in cocoa prices. The truth is one, and no one can dispute it. There are two things we use in determining the increase in cocoa prices. The first one is the strength of the Cedi and the price of cocoa on the international market. As a country, there are things we import and there are also things we export.”
“So when we import goods and the Cedi is not strong enough the prices will go up and in the same way when we export goods outside, we need to get profit.”
Honorable Ato Forson
According to the former Deputy Minister of Finance, the price of the commodity has seen the biggest rise since 1977 and thus the government is ripping cocoa farmers off.
“As we speak now cocoa prices have seen the biggest increment since 1977 so it is your season to make a profit. If NDC were to be in government, we would have a bag of cocoa at GH¢2,500 and add a premium of GH¢300. So you would have received GH¢2,800 per bag”.
Honorable Ato Frson
NPP Doing Propaganda With The Announcement Of The Farm Gate Prices
The representative for the Ajumako Enyan Constituency also criticized President Akufo-Addo and his appointees for engaging in blatant misrepresentation when they revealed the farm gate pricing for the 2023/2024 cocoa season.
Honourable Eric Opoku, the minority Spokeswoman for Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, on the other hand, maintained that the NPP government cannot claim to have done anything unusual given the record-high rise in the price of cocoa on the global market.
He praised the NDC’s track record with cocoa farmers, which he described as being superior. He noted that, aside from the National Democratic Congress increasing cocoa prices under its administration, it also provided free fertilizers and seedlings to cocoa farmers when it was in government something President Akuffo Addo and the New Patriotic Party have failed to do for the past seven years it has been in government.
This year’s cocoa season will see a price increase of more than 60%, or GH1,308 per bag, according to President Akufo-Addo.
On September 9, President Akufo-Addo spoke at a gathering in Tepa, acknowledging the difficulties experienced by cocoa producers as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak and the low worldwide cocoa prices.
READ ALSO: Akuffo Addo And COCOBOD Lied About Cocoa Price Increase –Sammy Gyamfi
