CEO of Ghana Cocoa Board, Mr Joseph Aidoo and the management of the board has debunked former president Mahama’s assertions that government has refused to increase the price of the product as false.
Mr. Mahama specifically told a gathering of NDC supporters in the Western Region flagbearership campaign that, the current government and COCOBOD Management have deliberately refused to increase the producer price of cocoa, which according to him should be increased each year.
According to Mr. Mahama, fertilizers that were duly paid for by the former government, National Democratic Congress should be freely disseminated to the farmers but are rather being sold while some have been left to rot.
In a statement signed by COCOBOD CEO, Mr. Joseph Aidoo, it is unfortunate that, the former President would want to incite cocoa farmers using the producer price when he knows world market price of cocoa is at a record low.
According to the statement, it reiterated that, it is factually incorrect that fertilizers have been left across the country to expire. Indeed, the organic fertilizers which are the subject of issue ordinarily are the best but unfamiliar to our farmers
COCOBOD debated that, as at 2017 the world prices of cocoa has denigrated on the world market and ordinarily the producer price should drop but the board has maintained the price at what they met it.
The COCOBOD explained that, other independent variable statistics such as the world price of the commodity are vitally necessary and the quality of deciding the producer price, adding that, the historical changes in the currency exchange, alluding that with the dollar exchange rate moving from GH¢3.9 in 2016 to GH¢5.0 in 2018, there should have been an automatic upward adjustment of the producer price of cocoa.”
Ghana Cocoa Board(COCOBOD) stressed that, no fertilizers were paid for, neither were any monies left in the accounts of COCOBOD for fertilizers as at January 1, 2017.
According to them, the current management of COCOBOD had to secure a loan from the World Bank to take delivery of fertilizers for the 2016/2017 crop year “way after April 2017”.
The statement revealed that, the annual syndicated facility of $1.8 billion for the 2016/2017 crop year whose drawn-down started in October 2016 had been completely disbursed on December 31, 2016 without making any reservation whatsoever in the accounts of COCOBOD for fertilizers and chemical inputs.
Mr. Joseph Aidoo and the Management of Ghana Cocoa Board, added that, Upon discovery that patronage was low, with the approval of the Board of Directors it has decided to assist farmers operating pollinated farms with the organic fertilizers months before their expiration.
By: Gerrard-Israel
