A cocoa farmer has described as “insulting and disrespectful” the new price for a sack of cocoa beans as announced on Wednesday, October 5.
According to Mark Ewusi Arkoh, who is also the National Youth Organiser of the People’s National Convention (PNC), per the current economic conditions and high cost of living, a minimum of GH¢925 should have been settled for the price.
The Ministry of Agriculture on Wednesday, October 5 announced a 21 percent increase in cocoa price per sack and this translates to GH¢800.
“We are not happy about this increase and we expect COCOBOD to as a matter of urgency review the price upward,” Mr Arkoh said in a statement on Thursday, October 6.
“This increment is a pittance compared to the hard toil of the Ghanaian Cocoa Farmer this
season.”
It warned that failure on the part of COCOBOD to review the price could force farmers to sell off their farms to illegal miners.
“Farmers find it difficult to manage the proceeds from this price. If cocoa farmers are not happy, productivity in this sector is also negatively affected.
“Many farmers are getting disappointed by the day. That being said, the government should quickly come in to review this price increment not only to save our third–best export commodity but to save our water bodies.”
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana