The Minority in Parliament is demanding an immediate increase in the farm gate price of cocoa.
The caucus, in its statement, said it has taken notice of recent developments on the international market relative to the prices of cocoa.
The statement, which was issued and signed by Eric Opoku, a member of the Committee on Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs and Member of Parliament for Asunafo South, said the Minority has observed that global cocoa prices have been soaring in recent times, hitting an all-time high of $10,000 USD per tonne.
He indicated that they were deeply concerned about the sharp decline in Ghana’s cocoa production volumes under the Akufo-Addo-led administration.
The situation the NDC MPs warned is set to get even worse, as Ghana’s cocoa production for the 2023/2024 crop season is reported to be about 450,000mt; the lowest in the past two decades.
“This sad situation is fast-eroding the incomes and purchasing power of our already-impoverished cocoa farmers. As a matter of fact, the living conditions of Ghanaian cocoa farmers keep worsening by the day due to the sharp decline in cocoa output.
Clearly, this negative trend will persist if the farm-gate price of cocoa is not significantly increased, to compensate for the loss in income of farmers.
It is instructive to note, that the average international market price of cocoa currently stands at Ten Thousand United States Dollars ($10,000) per ton (16 bags) of cocoa. This is equivalent to GHS130,000 per ton, at a conservative exchange rate of $1 to GHS13. This means that a bag of cocoa is currently being sold on the world market at about GHS8,125, while the Ghanaian farmer is being paid a paltry GHS1,308 by the insensitive and corrupt Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government.
This is a clear rip-off of our hard-working cocoa farmers by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government who continue to mismanage the cocoa sector. “
It added “The NDC caucus in Parliament therefore demands that the government immediately increases the farm-gate price of cocoa to reflect the recent unprecedented hike in the world market prices of cocoa.
We are appalled by the continuous mismanagement of the cocoa sector and the shortchanging of our hard working Ghanaian cocoa farmers by the ruling NPP government.”
Read the full statement below
Source: rainbowradioonline.com
