Budget forgets other farmers

Some Minority members on Thursday welcomed the increase in producer price of cocoa as announced in the 2002 budget and condemned the document for being silent on the prices of sheanut, coffee and other farm produce.

They said it was also regrettable that the policy statement was quiet on wages and salaries. Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, NDC Lawra-Nandom said there must be equity in sharing the national cake and the increase in the earning capacity of the cocoa farmer must equally be extended to other farmers.

The budget was a discriminatory one and did not sufficiently address the problem of the rural poor.

Mr John Tia, NDC Talensi, said the budget was one emanating from a "desperate man struggling to impress the electorate and in the process satisfied only a section and forgot about the rest."

Mr Steve Akorli, NDC Ho-East said there were not sufficient tax relief in the fiscal policy to give incentive to businessmen to ensure the success of the government's policy of golden age of business.

Mr Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah, Wenchi-West said the increase in cocoa prices from 274,000 cedis per bag to 387,500 cedis per bag was good but that the increases could not off-set smuggling of the commodity to neighbouring countries because it was being sold there at between 400,000 to 500,000 cedis per bag.

Mr Kofi Attor, NDC Ho-West said it was pathetic that the Majority applauded the Finance Minister's announcement that the decision point for the HIPC initiative would be taken on Friday 22 February.

He said all that it meant was that Ghana was being welcomed and initiated into the club of poor countries where the donor countries have to start to dictate their terms to the country.

Mr Attor said, "it was the same process our government, the NDC took with the Bretton Wood Institutions with the Structural Adjustment Programme which had landed us into this economic situation."

He said it was time "we re-examine our economic performance critically, adopt a planned economy so that we could get rid of the neo-colonial economy we are managing.

"It is difficult to come out of the HIPC initiative and the claws of the Bretton Wood Institutions and yet it is necessary to begin from some where to maintain our national pride."