Cocoa Purchasing firm fails to pay bonuses to farmers

Some farmers at Agona Nyarkrom in the Agona Municipality, have appealed to officials of Ghana Cocoa Board, to help them to retrieve 1,400 Ghana cedis they claim was meant to be paid to them as bonuses for the 2007/2008 cocoa season by Armajaro Company Limited at Nyarkrom. Opanyin Kwabena Yeboah, Spokesperson for the farmers alleged that the licensed cocoa buying company was not able to pay the two tranches and every effort to compel the Purchasing Clerk and the District Manager of the corporate entity to pay the money had proved futile. The farmers made the appeal when they met Mr. Malik Asare the Purchasing Clerk at Nyarkrom on Thursday, October 22. Mr. Asare alleged that his inability to pay the bonuses was due to the refusal of Mr. Joseph Quartey, the District Manager to release the money to him. He said at the end of the cocoa season the company could not evacuate 25 bags of cocoa worth 2,500 Ghana cedis, leading to the indebtedness. Mr. Asare said when the first tranche of the money was released, the District Manager allegedly refused to give it out for the payment. When contacted by the Ghana News Agency, Mr. Quartey admitted his refusal to give out the money to the farmers.