Agya Ackah, an executive member of the Ghana National Association of Cocoa Farmers, referred to those who resist their desire for an immediate price increase for the current cocoa season as witches and wizards.
The Ghana National Cocoa Farmers Association has asked for an immediate rise in the price for the new cocoa planting season, claiming that farmers will accept nothing less than GH¢6,000.
Agya Ackah, who is a cocoa farmer but deals in other crops such as maize, tomato, and kontomire, said they have been cheated for far too long and are only demanding fair pricing.
Speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he stated that the government has cheated cocoa farmers over the years, and the time has come for them to demand an increase in the price for the new cocoa season.
The government in April this year increased the price paid to cocoa farmers at the farm gate to GH¢33,120 per tonne.
The increase represented a 58.26 percent increase over the GH¢20,928 per tonne paid to the farmers at the farm gate, also known as the producer price.
The Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) announced this in a statement issued in Accra last Friday and signed by its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Joseph Boahen Aidoo, who said at the time that the new price, which translates into GH¢2,070 per bag of 64 kg gross weight, was up from GH¢1,308.
But Agya Ackah says they expect the new price to increase from Ghc 2,070 to Ghc 6,000, adding that they will not compromise on the proposed GHc 6,000.
He served notice that if the government does not support their proposal, they will have no option but to refuse to sell their cocoa and other crops, including maize, tomatoes, and others.
He also described those who are opposing their proposal as witches, wizards, and nation-wreckers.
He added that they were prepared to roll out other measures that will send a signal to the government that they were serious about their proposed GHC 6,000.
“The cocoa does not magically spring out of water, a rock, or the soil. Farmers plough their lands and invest hard work and resources, but they are given peanut as the price for the cocoa. Done farmers have come out to commend COCOD over the GHC 2,070 and even asked for GHC 3,000. Such people are witches, wizards, and nation-wreckers. We want GHC6,000. If they even give us Ghc5,999, we will reject it.
If they refuse to give us this amount, we will prevent officials from COCOBOD from having access to their farms. We will also refuse to sell to the government other crops, including maize, cassava, tomato, kontomire, and others. We cannot detail all our plans in public, but we know what to do. We have other measures in place that will have serious impact for the country,” he added.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
