Mixed Feelings greet new Cocoa Price
The New producer price of Cocoa for 2019/2020 crop season announced by the Government recently has been met with mixed feelings by a lot of Ghanaian farmers.
The Bodi and Juaboso Constituencies in the Western North Region where cocoa is mostly produced, farmers have received the new price differently.
Whereas some have parted the Government on the shoulder for this new price, others have condemned it into-to for the new move , describing it as an insult to farmers.
According to this group, the government has not only been uncaring to the plight of farmers, but has also been callous and wicked to them, taking into consideration the difficulty in farming coupled with the increase in the price of farming inputs such as agro-chemicals as fertilizers and chemicals for spraying, as well as petrol prices for feeding their spraying machines. This group is led by the Honourable member of Parliament for the Juaboso constituency, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.
Lending credence to the MP’s position is Nana C. K. Asiedu, a Senior Linguist at Bodi. According to him government has been simply callous and wicked to farmers by what he termed “this insulting price increase”.
Nana Asiedu argues that if for the past three years Cocoa producer prices have not seen any increment by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Government, this measure increase in price is not just insulting, but very callous to farmers.
He maintains that cocoa inputs have seen astronomical like under the NPP government. Therefore this increase is Nothing but callousness on the part of the NPP Government. Nana Asiedu expected not less than Gh¢550 per bag
On his part, Nana Gyase, an opinion leader and leading Cocoa Producer at Juaboso is full of praises for Government on the new producer price. He argued that since world Market process have declined all these years, the new increase is commendable.
While arguing that since little drops of water makes a mighty ocean, putting these new prices together on a number of cocoa bags one producers will go a long way to improve the financial fortunes of farmers.
Nana Gyasi is hopeful that this is a good beginning and that better thing will follow in the coming years.
On his part, Samuel Acheampon, a banker and owner of Aseda House at Juaboso, also said once government had come out with the price there is nothing farmers could do, since they have no other alternative
He noted that taking into consideration such government interventions as pruning, Mass Spraying and rehabilitation of dead cocoa farm, whereby government provides plantain suckers, coca seedlings, labour plus cash to farmers, they should be content with this increase. He pointed out that though the world market price for cocoa had fallen of later government did not reduce cocoa prices as compared to La Cote d’voire. Also, government has ensured the continued employment of the youth in these sectors besides other in themselves with the new price.
Meanwhile, at a press Conference at Wiawso last Thursday, Communication officer for the NDC, Sam Jeroby, argued that the price for a bag of cocoa should have been Gh550.00 as against Gh¢515 by this government has cheated farmers over Gh¢300.00. This, he said amounted to great amount and is nothing more than theft from farmers by the NPP government.
In a related development, Nana Gyasi has taken on the Juaboso CODAPEC in charge of the distribution of Agro-Chemicals for failing to supply him with the need chemicals for spraying his cocoa farms, As a result that, his farms have been greatly affected by the “Asukuo” Disease.
Source: S.O Anakamah, Sefwi Juaboso