The National President for Cocoa farmers Association Mr. Anane Boateng says angry cocoa farmers would be mounting billboards to register their displeasure at government over failure to establish a Cocoa Farmers’ Pensions Scheme promised by President Akufo-Addo.
He noted that billboards with the inscription ‘Nana Adaadaa y3n’ to wit, ‘President Nana Akufo-Addo has deceived us’ would be placed at various points in the country.
Mr Boateng warned that if the President fails to inaugurate the Cocoa Farmers’ Pensions Scheme by October, 2021 as he promised them, nothing will stop them from staging their action.
According to him, the Nana Addo government, just like other successive governments, is taking advantage of them.
“We have seen that they don’t really care about us,” he stated.
He added, “That will not be our only action, we shall even ensure that no food from the farm gate will come out, that will make them see the relevance of cocoa farmers in the country.”
Mr. Anane Boateng who says he is part of the Board of Trustees that has not been inaugurated also revealed nothing has been said or done apart from the roadmap the President announced before the 2020 General Elections.
Speaking to Accra based Power Fm on Tuesday morning, Mr. Anane Boateng recounted that since 2016 the Ghana National Cocoa Farmers Association (GNACOFA) has been fighting for a pension scheme for their members.
He added that on December 1, 2020, the President launched the scheme and put in place a Board of Trustees.
“Up till now, the Board of Trustees have not been inaugurated talk less of a secretariat to do their business.”
According to him, COCOBOD has also turned a blind eye to the inputs and ideas for it to become a reality.
“But we are not surprised because even the Late Former President Rawlings whose PNDC Law 81 mandated COCOBOD strictly to ensure they give cocoa farmers a welfare package but when he even became a constitutional president, he still forgot about the farmers, and that has continued till today”, he recounted sadly.
