I feel sorry and sad for cocoa farmers – John Mahama

• Posted on July 18, 2019
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Dramani Mahama has described as sheer wickedness President Nana Akufo-Addo’s decision to stop the supply of free fertilisers to cocoa farmers and allow the fertilisers to expire and dispose of them.

“I feel very sad for our cocoa farmers”, President Mahama said, adding “we had good plans and started implementing good policies for the cocoa sector”.

He was speaking during an interaction with cocoa farmers and the people of Enchi in the Aowin Constituency of the Western North Region on Tuesday.

According to the former President, the supply of free fertiliser, seedlings and inputs to cocoa farmers led to an increase in the annual yield of cocoa. ??“When we started giving out free fertilisers, it was because we realised it will help improve yield, and in the 2016/17 crop year, we recorded 950,000 tons… I cannot understand why this government will decide to stop that and sell the fertilisers to the farmers… In fact, it is wickedness to leave the fertiliser in warehouses because the farmers cannot and won’t buy them, and throw them away after they expire,” he lamented.

President Mahama who is on a two-day tour of the Western North Region assured the people that with their continuous support, the NDC will win the 2020 elections and resume the implementation of its people-friendly policies and initiatives.

He acknowledged the support of the people of Enchi and the Aowin Constituency for consistently voting for the NDC, assuring them that all projects stopped by the Akufo-Addo government will be resumed and new projects added when he wins the 2020 elections.

Many road projects in the cocoa-growing areas being funded by the Ghana Cocoa Board have all been stopped, with roads scheduled to be completed in 2017, now in more deplorable states.  

“The Elubo to Enchi road was on contract and we gave it to two contractors so they can be completed early. They should have been completed by now, but thanks to the NPP that road is worse now than when we started working on it”. 

The NDC flagbearer also used the occasion to welcome to the NDC a number of NPP supporters who announced their defection to the NDC, asking them to join the Aowin constituency members to campaign for the party to win and bring relief to the people.

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