New producer price of cocoa is to influence farmers – Mahama

The presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr John Dramani Mahama, says the recent increment in the producer price of cocoa by the government is to influence the vote of farmers in the 2020 polls.

He said the government failed to heed calls for yearly increases in the producer price of cocoa from 2017 until the impending elections when it has seen the need to do so.

Addressing separate durbars at Bonsu Nkwanta, Mafia and Boinzan in the Juaboso constituency of the Western North Region, Mr Mahama pointed out that the increment in cocoa price is to cover up the failures of the government in the cocoa sector and manipulate the voting decision of cocoa farmers.

"So the increment is because, election is near and government wants to use it to influence the vote of farmers", he said.

He said the NDC government when elected will re-introduce the yearly increment of producer price of cocoa to enable cocoa farmers benefit from their toil, adding bonuses on producer price of cocoa will be restored under the next NDC government.

Mr Mahama said when given the mandate in the December 7, 2020 election, the next NDC administration will establish a pension scheme for cocoa farmers to take care of them upon their retirement.

Touching on cocoa roads, the presidential candidate of the NDC questioned the prudence of the government’s decision to abandone those projects. He said most of the cocoa road projects would have long been completed if the NDC had been retained in the last elections.

Mr Mahama said when elected, the next NDC government will continue the cocoa roads project for easy transportation of cocoa beans. He therefore urged electorates to a vote for the NDC in the upcoming December 7 elections.

For his part, the gyaasehene of Boinzan, Nana Awuah Bonenka II endorsed the candidature of Mahama, saying that, he was impressed with the massive infrastructure development delivered by the Mahama administration.

He therefore entreated electorates to vote for Mahama to enable him continue with his good works and create prosperity for all Ghanaians.