A former Member of Parliament for Dormaa West on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Hon. Ali Maiga Halidu, has called on the government to admit its failure in managing the cocoa sector instead of shifting blame.
Speaking on Kessben Maakye today, he noted that, authorities must take responsibility for the challenges confronting the industry, particularly the inability to stabilise prices and ensure timely payments to farmers.
Hon. Halidu indicated that the Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD had admitted that some international buyers consider Ghana’s cocoa relatively expensive, which he said partly explains why some buyers are holding back purchases.
He further referenced the era of former President Akufo Addo stating that when cocoa prices declined from about 3,100 dollars to 1,800 dollars on the international market, the administration at the time did not drastically reduce the producer price paid to farmers.
The former lawmaker argued that COCOBOD “gambled” with cocoa market price movements when prices went up, but said the hedging strategy later failed, worsening the situation.
He lamented that the hardship in the cocoa sector has compelled some farmers to resort to desperate measures, claiming that many are yet to receive payment for their produce.
Hon. Halidu stressed that the current difficulties in the cocoa sector stem largely from negligence and poor management, urging the government to consider reverting to previous pricing structures to ease the burden on cocoa farmers.
He called for urgent reforms to restore confidence in the sector and protect the livelihoods of thousands of cocoa farmers across the country.
