COCOBOD cannot meet demands of striking carriers - Fiifi Boafo

Carriers are currently paid GH¢130 per day – COCOBOD

Pay of cocoa carriers above minimum wage – Fiifi Boafo

COCOBOD considering alternatives if the demand of carriers persist - Fiifi Boafo

Head of public relations of COCOBOD, Fiifi Boafo, has that his outfit is not prepared to meet the demand of the striking carriers of bagged cocoa beans.

At a press briefing in Accra, Fiifi Boafo said although the carriers offered important service, Ghana Cocoa Board cannot afford to pay the requested GH¢1 per bag of cocoa bean carried.

He said COCOBOD pays the amount of GH¢130 per day to the carrier, which is above the minimum wage in the country.

He said aside from the carriers, COCOBOD had to take care of other players in the value chain, including farmers and hauliers, and it would therefore not commit all of its resources to only the carriers.

“Yes, we agree that these are persons who offer important services to us. Must we commit all our resources to them? There are other people within the value chain. The farmers are there; the haulers are there. People who play different roles in the value chain. We believe that at this point in time, they should accept the fact that we have a challenge, and they should be able to manage this. We cannot afford to pay that at this point”, Starrfm.com.gh quoted Fiifi Boafo.

According to him, the board finds the demand of the striking carriers unfair; hence should the situation persist, it will resort to other means to ensure the production value chain is not affected.

“There are other persons that are ready to work. We can also leverage on tech and mechanize. However, if we do that, consider the number of able-bodied young men who will be rendered jobless! On the flip side, we have to manage within certain budgets. So, if the situation persists and we have to pay beyond what our resources permit, then we may have to find a different means of going about this thing,” he said.