Enforce use of Akuafo cheque system Chief Farmer

Nana Debrah Amanor, Suhum Municipal Chief Farmer, has appealed to the government to endeavor to enforce the policy on the Akuafo (farmers) cheques, for the purchase of cocoa beans in the country.

“The government’s efforts to improve the cocoa industry, is being threatened by the refusal of Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) to use the Akuafo cheque system”.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency at Akim Oda in the Eastern Region, where the chief farmer visited his cocoa and other cash crop farms, said the government’s efforts was thwarted by the refusal to use the Akuafo cheques.

That, the LBCs instead, resorted to pay for cocoa beans purchased ‘strictly’ by cash therefore, defeating the enforcement of the use of the Akuafo cheques policy.

Nana Amanor said it was a policy of the COCOBOD to ensure that all LBCs used the Akuafo cheques in paying farmers, but the trend had changed.

He made it clear that when the buying companies implement the cheque system, it would encourage cocoa farmers in the country to open savings account and access loans from the banks.

“The continual use of cash to pay for cocoa purchased, would deprive cocoa farmers of the enormous benefits that they can derive from the financial institutions, especially the rural banks”.

The Chief Farmer called for the use of the cheque system for the payment of cocoa farmers, because failure of the buying companies to adopt the system, would create a lot of troubles for the farmers.