Mahama ignored cocoa farmers during swollen shoot disease period - NPP

As far as the conversation around cocoa farming in Ghana is concerned, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has insisted that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has paid more attention to farmers than the erstwhile NDC administration ever did in eight years.

According the NPP, their argument is premised on some unfavourable condition cocoa farmers had to endure during the period of the swollen shoot disease which occurred under the Mahama-led administration.

Speaking at the NPP’s weekly press conference Monday, October 5, 2020, Communications Director of the NPP, Yaw Buaben Asamoa said John Dramani Mahama during his tenure as president, ignored farmers in a period they needed his attention and help most.

“…during the widespread swollen shoot disease, John Mahama’s response was to ignore cocoa farmers which led to collapsing the economy in vital areas such as the Western North Region. It took Akufo-Addo and the NPP to bring life back to the economy there…,” Buaben Asamoa noted.

The NPP communicator continued that President Akufo-Addo upon assumption of office, put stringent measures in place in the cocoa sector to salvage the broken system.

He noted that some of the measures included the containment programme which involved the removal of all affected crops, replanting, and payment of compensation to farmers and education.

Buaben Asamoa also noted that farmers were eventually given free seedlings to start the replacement of lost ones.

All these, he remarked had been overlooked by the previous Mahama administration.