The Cocoa and Coffee Farmers Association of Ghana says it is content with the current cocoa price set by the government.
According to the Association, it is happy that the government did not reduce the price but rather maintained it at a time the world price of the commodity had fallen.
The Minority in Parliament has said the failure of government to increase cocoa price was unfair and amounted to stealing from the farmers.
At a press conference on Monday, the Minority argued that the foundation laid by the former National Democratic Congress government was good enough to merit an increase from GH¢ 475.00 per bag to GH¢ 600.00.
The Minority rejected government’s view that a drop in commodity price on the world market affected government’s inability to increase the price for farmers.
“The price of cocoa on the international market has witnessed a dramatic decline to a 40-year low from more than $3,000 per tonne only 10 months ago to as low as $1,900 in recent months. The situation has compelled other countries to reduce drastically their producer prices of cocoa,” the Agriculture Minister, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, said.
But the Minority insists the GH¢ 475.00 per bag pegged in October 2016 is simply “not enough” for the 2017 farming season and that the government should increase the price to GH¢ 600.00.
However, President of the Cocoa and Coffee Farmers Association of Ghana, Alhaji Alhassan Bukari, told Akwasi Nsiah on ‘Si Mi So’ on Kasapa FM that cocoa farmers were hopeful that the government would increase the price when the world market price increased.
“We are not politicians but we disagree with the Minority’s call for an increase in cocoa price now, judging by the situation on the world market. We don’t have to put pressure on the government; we know the government will do the right thing when things get better. At the price review session the government explained issues to us and we accept the explanation,” Alhaji Bukari said.
Source: Daily Heritage
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YOU ARE SAYING AT $1900 NPP SHOULD PAY FARMERS GH600 AT THE TIME WORLD MARKET WAS $3000 YOU PAID GH475. NOW SEE: IF $1900=600GH THEN $3000=? SO NDC SHOULD HAVE PAID THE FARMERS 947.4GH SO NDC YOU SEE HOW YOU HAVE ROBBED THE FARMERS?
Oh NDC leader simple calculation you couldn't do it. if $3000=475gh. then $1900=? if less more devide therefore $1900=300.8gh MINORITY THIS IS SIMPLE.
If this is not m-ischief, w-ick-edness, i-rra-tional, ill-ogical on the the part of the minority then i dont know what it is. This also means they robbed the innocent farmers of what was due them. I cant think far. At $3,000 you paid 475, yet at $ 1,900 you say someone should pay 600. By simple proportion, it means that NDC shortchanged the poor farmers. They should have paid 750 at $3000 and not 475.Propaganda be what? Now people are wide awake.
A sinking person will even cliff on to straw for survival. what a pity and shame for NDC.
Just organise some ignorance NPP cocoa farmers and they will speak like this.Villagers. you are okay without increment of cocoa prices right? what a shame.
NDC in reverse gear. When they were in power and the world price was around $3,000.00 they paid 475 Ghana Cedis per bag. But now that they are not in power and world price is around $1,900.00, government have to increase the price per bag from 475 to 600. What logic is that? If 3,000.00 USD Couldn't translate into 600 per bag, how on earth can 1,900 translate into 600?
Pitiful minority. They still think most Ghanaians are uninformed about global issues, so they can come with hypocritical lies and score cheap political points. Now the farmers themselves have spoken, so what will you say?