Minority backs Mahama on Cocoa sector claims

Mr. Mahama believes the country’s cocoa sector has fallen off its glory due government's inability to manage the sector properly.

Mahama during his campaign tour in the Western North Region while addressing party faithful and executives cited the government’s failure to adjust the producer price of cocoa annually delayed payment of farmers for cocoa beans combined with other factors to destroy the sector.

In a rebuttal to the claims raised, the Ghana Cocoa Board debunked all claims describing the statement as misleading and detrimental to the cocoa sector.

Reacting to the latter response, ranking member of the Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee of Parliament, Eric Opoku has hit back at the management of COCOBOD describing its statement as sham.

The minority has since risen to defend former president Mahama's claim, accusing the Nana Addo-led administration of worsening COCOBOD’s plight.

“In 2017, the NDC handed over a prosperous and thriving cocoa industry with buffers in the cocoa stabilization fund, farmers’ welfare fund, depreciation fund, farmers’ housing fund, and others including GH₵29 million set aside for the rolling out of the cocoa farmers pension scheme envisaged under the P.N.D.C.L 81.

“Shockingly, the Akufo-Addo’s government has dissipated all these buffers within 6 years, leaving nothing for the industry to lean on in times of difficulties".

Further stated that the CocoBod has incurred huge losses since Akufo Addo assumed office.

COCOBOD is yet to explain why the cocoa industry cannot be profitable under the Nana Addo/Bawumia government. Available records indicate the following year's Losses.

GH₵’million

2017 395.0

2018 78.2

2019 320.6

2020 426.0