The Ranking Member for the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs has explained that it was a cheat for the government to maintain the guaranteed price it pays to farmers per tonne of cocoa for the 2018/2019 main crop season.
Mr. Eric Opoku said government told Ghanaians that the price of cocoa in the world market has dropped, hence the decision to maintain the 2017/2018 crop season price, but that is not the case.
The Member of Parliament for Asunafo South Constituency in the Brong Ahafo Region said this in an interview with PrimeNewsGhana on the 2018/2019 cocoa season price which was announced by the government without increment.
The Food and Agriculture Minister, Dr. Afriyie Akoto on Monday, October 1, announcement the price of 2018/2019 cocoa season.
The Minister said “the 2018/19 cocoa season which starts on Friday, October 5, has been officially announced. The government in consultation with stakeholders has decided to maintain the producer price for cocoa at GHS7, 600 per tonne or GHS475 per bag of 64 Kilograms (KG)â€.
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Ghana is the second world producer of cocoa after Ivory Coast. These two countries concurrently announced the price of cocoa with the aim of ensuring that farmers who smuggles cocoa to sell in these two countries will seize.
“It is a lie if they [government] say the price has drop in the world market. We get the cocoa syndicated loans in dollars because we sell cocoa in dollars. Then the [government] changed it into cedis and then all the expenses of COCOBOD are taken outâ€, Mr. Opoku explained.
He said “the money is given to farmers but there are several deductions that are done before the price of cocoa is determinedâ€.
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