The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) has accused Minority leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, of dishonesty over the new cocoa prices.
Joseph Boahen Aidoo made the accusation on Asempa FM Ekosii Sen, where he expressed disappointment in Dr Forson.
As a former Chairman of the Producer Price Review Committee on Cocoa and former member of the Board of Directors, COCOBOD, Mr Aidoo said he expects the Minority leader to know better when it comes to how the price system works.
“Ato Forson has really shocked me, and he hasn’t helped Mahama in any way. You have to be careful if you have such people as your advisors. He has been on the Board before, so when he came to speak about sales and prices, I had so much faith unfortunately, he decided to come and throw dust in the eyes of people. Propaganda and lies are just in the DNA of the NDC,” he stated.
President Akufo-Addo on September 9, while addressing cocoa farmers in Tepa of the Ashanti region announced a 63.6% upward adjustment from GH₵800 to GH₵1,308 per bag.
But in the view of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), it is a total rip-off, as cocoa farmers will remain worse off than they were seven years ago under them.
According to the NDC, the price increment should not have been less than GH¢2,500.
Dr Forson, who doubles as Ajumako Enyan Assiam Member of Parliament (MP) addressing a conference with cocoa farmers at Dadiesoaba in the Ahafo Region said if the NDC was in power, it would have paid ¢2,800 to the farmers.
However, the COCOBOD CEO in response said it was actually the erstwhile NDC government that cheated cocoa farmers.
“In 2015-2016, the international price of cocoa was $2900 per tonne but they paid farmers $1,789 now, the price is around $2,600 but we have given the farmer $1,821 dollars, so they even cheated the farmers because they had all the opportunity to pay the GH¢2,500 Ato Forson is talking about or even GH¢2,000 but they didn’t,” he added.
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