The Forum for Development and Accountable Governance (FDAG) has claimed that cocoa farmers in Ghana would have realized significantly higher profits if the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) were still in power.
According to Mr. Peter Mensah, the Executive Secretary of FDAG, under the standard set by former President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC administration, the price of a bag of cocoa should currently be GHC 5,500.
Speaking to cocoa farmers and the media during a community engagement event at Ntomem in the Mpraeso constituency of the Eastern region, Mr. Mensah highlighted the disparity between current prices and what they might have been under the NDC.
He noted that the current international price of cocoa per bag exceeds GHC 8,000, whereas the Ghanaian government has recently set the price at GHC 2,000 per bag.
Mr. Mensah criticized the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration for not following the NDC’s method of price increases. He claimed that during Mahama’s tenure, the NDC increased the cocoa price by almost 66%, suggesting that the current price under NDC governance would have been much higher.
He accused the NPP administration of taking a larger percentage of the cocoa revenue than the farmers, which he termed as cheating.
Additionally, he pointed out that the NPP administration has discontinued several farmer support programs initiated by the NDC, including free fertilizers and farmer bonuses.
Mr. Mensah used the platform to further explain the NDC’s 24-hour economy policy and other initiatives proposed by John Mahama, urging the community to vote for change in the upcoming elections on December 7 for improved governance and better conditions for farmers.
Listen to him.
Story By: Onokwafo Yaw Asiedu/Ahotoronline.com
@onokwafoasiedu
