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We’re Restoring Hope In The Cocoa Farmers, Western North NPP Tells NDC
Western North regional communication directorates led by Mr Addo Yaw Harry (Ogyaba) together with other communicators in the region have held a press conference in the Western North to rebut minority in parliament.
According to Mr Addo Yaw Harry the incompetency of NDC regime nearly collapsed the cocoa sector, while the NPP government is restoring hope in the cocoa farmers in the country.
He reiterated that since 31st December, 1981 the PNDC/NDC took over in governance and since that time till 2001 they left power, they were able to produce only 395 thousand metric tonnes of cocoa in the country since 19 years in power while former president John Agyekum Kuffour took it over to 710 thousand metric tonnes before he left in governance on 7th January, 2009 which means it was multiply by two.
He added that, it wasn’t a magic but as a result of prudent measures put in place.
Addressing the media, Ogyaba stated that, when NPP is in power, cocoa production keeps on going high, but when the NDC is in power, Cocoa production keep declining whiles the 1 million metric tonnes of cocoa production was reduced by 850 thousand metric tonnes after NDC left power in 2016.
Mr Addo Yaw Harry added that, within six years under the Cocoa rehabilitation programme in the region, NPP government has employed 16,562 workers excluding of cocoa mass spraying, Cocoa disease potters, technical assistance (T.Os) but only the youths in western north region to weed and received a salary of GH650 at the end of every month which means the government paid 10.7 million ghana cedis into the region to pay salaries which is unpresidented.
Notwithstanding, Mr Harry Addo disclosed that in western north alone, 15,403, cocoa farmers have benefited from the cocoa rehabilitation exercise while Cocobod is working on 23,157.88 hectares.
He explained that apart from the compensation been paid to the affected farmers, the gov’t also provides free plantain suckers, planted without cost beared to the farmers, but the only legacy NDC left for the people of Western North was to drain them into state of poverty, bad roads and poor network.
Kwame Kontor Boateng Lord fm, Sefwi Bekwai, Western North Region
