Ashanti Region farmers laud govt for increasing cocoa price
Cocoa farmers in the Ashanti Region have commended the government for increasing the producer price of cocoa for the 2014/2015 season.
They, however, urged it to ensure that all policies geared towards increased production were implemented to complement the new price.
“The unprecedented increase from GH¢3,392 to GH¢5,520 per tonne for the 2014/15 cocoa season and the instant bonus of GH¢5 per bag mean that the government really cares about cocoa farmers,” they said.
Briefing the Daily Graphic after the first meeting of the Cocoa, Coffee and Sheanut Farmers Association following the price increment, the Ashanti Regional Chief Farmer, Nana S.Y. Akuoku, called on President John Mahama to take personal interest to ensure that the distribution of free fertilisers reached the farmers.
Nana Akuoku said the practice whereby some officials diverted subsidised and/or free fertilisers and sold them to farmers outside or within the country had to stop.
He cited a recent Daily Graphic report in which some COCOBOD staff members had been arraigned in Kumasi for allegedly diverting agrochemicals meant for free distribution to farmers in the Ahafo Ano South District as one of the reasons the security agencies had to be put on high alert to stop those nation wreckers.
On the mass spraying of cocoa farms, he said although the government had distributed spraying machines for the exercise, there was no fuel to power most of the machines.
He said the spraying exercise, meant to control pests and diseases, had been of tremendous help to farmers, most of whom did not have enough resources to purchase the services of private sprayers and bear the cost of the chemicals used.
Galamsey
Nana Akuoku urged the government to be firm in its decision to criminalise all small-scale mining activities because the phenomenon, which was reaching alarming proportions, had the propensity to negatively affect cocoa production.
He said aside from the destruction of water bodies, galamsey operations also destroyed fertile land suitable for farming, adding, “The threat now is how some landowners are selling cocoa farms to galamsey operators.”
He said the introduction of the e-zwich and the Akuafo cheque was positive news because aside from being secure means of payment, farmers could use the cheques to secure loans from the banks.
