The Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has attributed the recent cocoa producer price reduction to what he describes as government mismanagement and poor decision making.
Contributing to a statement on the floor of Parliament, he argued that the challenges facing the cocoa sector are not new and cannot be justified by debt or external factors alone.
He maintained that the difficulties stem from poor judgment in international cocoa trading. He stated that government failed to take advantage of opportunities such as forward sales and spot sales when global cocoa prices were high.
According to him, the situation reflects a lack of understanding of the cocoa industry rather than unavoidable economic conditions.
He dismissed the argument that debt is the primary cause, noting that Ghana has historically managed cocoa related debts while continuing to pay farmers.
The Damongo lawmaker further compared Ghanaβs situation to that of CΓ΄te dβIvoire, indicating that the neighbouring country continues to offer better prices to its cocoa farmers despite facing similar global pressures.
He described the price reduction as unprecedented and called on government to provide a bailout for farmers.
He urged authorities to reduce expenditure within the cocoa sector, arguing that farmers should not bear the burden while administrative costs remain high.
By: Jacob Aggrey
