Hohoe (V/R), Jan. 15, GNA- Two persons, who allegedly stole seven bags of cocoa from the Produce Buying Company's (PBC) warehouse at Fodome-Helu in the Hohoe District, have been arrested by the Police in collaboration with Togolese Security.
A third suspect is however on the run, a Police source told the Ghana News Agency at Hohoe on Thursday.
The names of the suspects are being withheld to facilitate further investigations.
In a related incident, the Hohoe District Anti-Cocoa Smuggling Task Force had intercepted 13-and-half bags of cocoa being smuggled out of the country.
Briefing Newsmen at Hohoe on Tuesday, Mr Akwesi Bediako-Addey, Volta Regional Manager of the PBC said cocoa smuggling had gone up in the region as production of the crop has equally increased. He attributed the increase in the production of the crop to the zealousness of the farmers, coupled with the cocoa spraying exercise and the return of the youth into cocoa industry.
"This has made the demand for seeds for nursing very high that we cannot meet it", he said.
He said the PBC had purchased 90 percent of cocoa at the end of the season last year and hoped to purchase more before the close of the season.
The Regional Manager commended Purchasing Officers of the company for their hard work in the purchase of the produce from farmers.
