Cocoa Farmers threaten to boycott elections

Aboaboso, (W/R), Jan 29, GNA- The Chiefs and people of Aboaboso NO 2, a farming community in the Mpohor Wassa East District of the Western Region have threatened never to vote in the December general elections because their cocoa farms had not been sprayed for the past two years. They said in spite of numerous appeals by the community leaders to the District Assembly and Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), nothing has been done and to them it is a great disservice on the part of the two institutions.

"It is for this and many other reasons that we have decided not to vote and we dare Electoral Commission (EC) or its agents never to step there because we will have nothing to do with them", Opanin Kweku Namo, the Chief Farmer said.

Speaking to the GNA in an interview at Aboaboso NO 2, the Chief Farmer of the area Kweku Namo, said that for two years running, no reasons had been given by either the District Assembly or MOFA on the issue.

He noted that it was now established that their intention was not to spray their farms.

Mr Namo alleged that the mass spraying exercise has been politicised while some towns continue to enjoy the facility.

He said: "we in the Aboaboso No 2 community comprising over 100 cocoa farmers are deprived and suffering " he stressed.

He said when the programme first started in August 2001, the farmers were placed under the Twifu-Hemang Lower Denkyira District which initially assisted with two spraying machines and two dozens of insecticides.

According to the Chief Farmer, they were asked by the officials of Twifu Praso MOFA to form a gang that would subsequently undertake the regular spraying exercise in the town which they did with one Mr Kenneth Yamoah as the Gang leader.

He stated that a letter to that effect dated on 25 March 2003, was sent to the District Director of MOFA with a copy to the DCE at Twifu Praso.

Mr Namo said that they were told to join the Mpohor Wassa East District at Daboase for all their needs and ever since that time their farms had never been sprayed.

The Chief Farmer therefore, appealed to the government to call for a review of the cocoa spraying exercise in the district so that no institution would have the opportunity to manipulate or politicise the programme.