Former Western Regional Minister, Dr Kwaku Afriyie says not even angels can clamp down on the smuggling of cocoa beans from Ghana to neighbouring countries.
To Dr Afriyie, who himself is a cocoa farmer in Ghana and a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), though the smuggling canker is affecting cocoa farming, a lot of internal issues need to be addressed in the fight against smuggling.
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Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Dr Afriyie said there is currently a reverse of the menace under the Akufo-Addo government.
“Not even angels can stop cocoa smuggling to and from neighbouring countries. There are a lot of internal issues that need to be addressed,” he said.
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Commenting on the same show, Minority Spokesperson on Agric, Mr Eric Opoku accused the NPP administration of neglecting cocoa farmers in the country with the cancellation of some road projects, challenges with cocoa mass spraying exercise, and replacement of free fertilisers with subsidised ones.
However, Dr Afriyie rubbished the claims of free fertiliser distribution programme and noted that “no government has issued any free fertiliser to any farmer. The fertilisers that were distributed were bought with the farmers’ own money so it was not free.”
Source: Adomonline.com | Gertrude Otchere