Be Sensitive to the Plight of Cocoa Farmers - Minority to Govt

By Maxwell Ofori

The Minority in Parliament has urged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to be sensitive to the plight of the Ghanaian cocoa farmer, by halting the sale of fertilisers.

They have also asked the government to revert to the National Democratic Congress' (NDC) Free Fertilisation Programme for the 2016/17 cocoa season.

Addressing a news conference yesterday in Parliament, the Ranking Member on Food, Agricultural and Cocoa Affairs, Mr Eric Opoku, indicated that the attention of the Minority had been drawn to some statements made by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Mr. Joseph Boahen Aidoo, on June8, 2017, when he interacted with Joy FM, to the effect that the producer price of cocoa would not be increased, and farmers would not be paid increased bonus for the 2017/2018 cocoa season

According to the statement read by the Minority Spokesperson on Cocoa Affairs, Mr Eric Opoku, the reason given was that the world market price had fallen, thus, the decision not to increase the bonus.

"Ladies, and Gentleman, first and foremost, we wish to state that the Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD is not clothed with the mandate to determine the producer price of cocoa for farmers.

"It is the duty of the Producer Price Review Committee to determine [the] producer price of cocoa, taking into consideration several factors, including the economic conditions prevailing in the country, in order not to inflict untold hardships on our farmers.

"We are, therefore, urging the CEO of COCOBOD to allow the committee established in 1984, which has since discharged its duties effectively and efficiently, to continue its work without any form of usurpation," he stated.

Commenting on the Cocoa Stabilisation Fund, the Minority noted that in October 2014, the NDC government, under President John Dramani Mahama, established the Cocoa Stabilisation Fund with annual contributions from the FOB price as a risk-mitigation mechanism against declines in international cocoa prices.

They continued that the primary objective of the Stabilisation Fund was to apply it to sustain the earnings of cocoa farmers, and to cushion them should the market price begin to decline.

"The recent decline in the price of cocoa internationally must, therefore, trigger the use of the Stabilisation Fund to put smiles on the faces of our farmers.

"We are, therefore, encouraging the CEO of COCOBOD to make it public how much is accumulated in the fund, and its impact on the farmers in this critical period.

"It is also important to note that extensive stakeholder consultation has always been the means of achieving the best for our hardworking cocoa farmers."

The statement said the erstwhile Mahama administration introduced the Cocoa Fertilisation Programme, among other things, to increase cocoa production in Ghana.

Adding that the Producer Price Review Committee, before the determination of the producer price of cocoa, made provision for the purchase of 2.2 million bags of granular fertilizser and 1.6 million litres of liquid fertiliser, to fertilise over 1 million hectares of cocoa farms free of charge to the farmer in the 2016/17 cocoa season.

"Surprisingly, the NPP government, on assumption of office, has replaced the Free Fertilisation Programme with a programme, under which farmers pay (GH¢80) for a bag of fertiliser.

"This is unacceptable, we cannot sit aloof for the government to cheat our cocoa farmers.

Under the Free Fertilisation Programme, the cocoa farmer was entitled to7.5 bags of granular fertiliser per every hectare of cocoa farm. So, a farmer who has 100 hectares of cocoa farm was given 750 bags of fertiliser free of charge.

"Today, under [the] President Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, the same farmer is to pay (GH¢60,000) for the same 750 bags of fertiliser. This has exposed the Ghanaian cocoa farmer to intolerable levels of penury.

"We want to emphasise that cocoa farmers have indirectly, through the producer price determination formula used for the 2016/17 cocoa season, paid for the fertiliser. Selling the same fertiliser to the same farmer is a broad day robbery.

"We are, therefore, urging the NPP government to be sensitive to the plight of the Ghanaian cocoa farmer, by halting the sale of the fertiliser, and revert to the NDC's free fertilisation programme for the 2016/17 cocoa season," he concluded.

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