Cocoa farmers in the country have expressed appreciation to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for supporting them during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They indicated that the government of Akufo-Addo did not kowtow to external pressures to reduce the price of cocoa in Ghana.
A delegation, on behalf of the farmers, was at Jubilee House yesterday, purposely to offer thanks to the President, citing his posture during the pandemic.
The delegation gave President Akufo-Addo the title ‘Cocoa Akuafo Adamfo Pa,’ to wit, a good friend of cocoa farmers.
Speaking on behalf of the Ghana Best Cocoa Farmers Association, the team that paid the visit, the President of the group, Charles Gyamfi, stated that they should have offered the appreciation long ago.
Mr. Gyamfi, the 2018 National Best Cocoa Farmer, 2019 National Best Farmer, and 2020 Africa Best Agriculturalist, told the President that a lot of them wished to join the team, but they had only a few slots.
“The reason we came is that from 2017, since President Akufo-Addo came into office, he has dealt well with cocoa famers. We should have come earlier to commend him to encourage him to do more.
“Of importance is during the COVID-19 pandemic, cocoa farmers in Ghana had their share. International markets reduced their cocoa prices, but President Akufo-Addo stood his ground and did not reduce that of Ghana. Even Cote d’Ivoire reduced its price,” he said in Twi.
According to Mr. Gyamfi, that singular show of support by the President touched the hearts of the farmers, who were worried prices would be reduced.
POLICY
Mr. Gyamfi gave a testimony of the government’s policy to cut down dead cocoa trees due to infection, and plant new ones at no cost to the farm owners.
According to him, the move had yielded positive results, stating that “cocoa is gaining grounds again.”
He claimed that in the history of Ghana, it was under the Akufo-Addo administration that they were witnessing many yields. He said, during the dead days of cocoa, was when they harvested 1.05 metric tonnes, stating that it was unprecedented.
He noted that owing to the good policies of the government, any farmer who harvested three bags of cocoa from a one acre farm previously, now from the same piece of land could give 20 bags.
Recalling some of the measures, he mentioned pruning and irrigation, saying that it had enabled all-year-round cocoa farming.
He, thus, pledged the support of the farmers to the government of Akufo-Addo for the work he was doing for the country.
Mr. Gyamfi commended the government for the pension scheme for cocoa farmers, and told the President that the team was in Kumasi working with the people about the scheme.
PLEA
However, they pleaded with President Akufo-Addo to look into the acquisition of poultry manure which had become scarce. He said that was very organic and fertile for farming, but unfortunately, he alleged that the faeces of the poultry were being transported to nearby countries.
According to him, while others come to buy the poultry manure from Ghana, the country, on the other hand, expended huge sums of money to import fertilisers which contained chemicals.
He believed it would save the country and farmers a lot if the poultry faeces were made to stay in the country for farmers to have access to it.
Mr. Gyamfi also spoke of cocoa roads that were deteriorating, saying, that the rains were eroding what had been already started, and called for attention to that.
GOODNEWS
President Akufo-Addo, in a brief response, expressed joy at the hearing of the words of commendation from the cocoa farmers.
According to him, he was happy that the farmers had appreciated the work of his government and had visited to commend him.
He did not see why it should be under his tenure as President that cocoa farmers should be disregarded, knowing how cocoa had fed the country.
“…That is to say I am supervising over the collapse of the nation,” President Akufo-Addo said, adding that whatever it would take for him to grow that sector, he would do it.
CONFIRMATION
He stated that he was pleased to hear from those who do not work with him, as that gave him either the truth or otherwise of what his people said to him.
He assured the delegation that very soon they would see some improvements on their pleas, especially, the cocoa roads.
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